Rumours are swirling around Johnny Depp’s return to Pirates of the Caribbean in the franchise’s sixth instalment, which is in early development. While he has appeared as the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in all five Pirates films since in 2003, the fate of Depp’s involvement in future instalments was called into question amid his messy court battle with ex-wife and actress, Amber Heard.
Since then, reports have emerged around both the potential script and cast for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, including an all-female version starring Margot Robbie (though this is currently on hold). Updates around whether Depp will reprise his role, however, remain relatively scarce. So, here’s everything we know about Johnny Depp’s return to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Will Johnny Depp be in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’?
At the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation from either Disney (who are producing Pirates 6) or Depp as to whether the actor will return to the franchise. Speculation has persisted, however, after longtime Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed his interest in seeing Depp sport the famous tricorn again.
Bruckheimer told Entertainment Tonight in 2023 that he would “love to have [Depp] in the movie,” but remained tight-lipped as to whether the actor was actually in talks to join the cast. Bruckheimer’s comments added to growing speculation that Depp himself was eyeing a Pirates return, with sources close to the actor revealing that he would be open to reprising his role “if it’s the right project.”
As for Disney’s role in Depp’s return, The New York Times reported in 2023 that the company was leaving “the door open” for a potential collaboration with the actor, with a former Disney executive saying Pirates is “primed for rebooting [the franchise] with Johnny.” While these developments seem to point to a Jack Sparrow reprisal, conflicting reports still make Depp’s return to the franchise unclear.
Amid his controversial defamtion trial, Depp responded negatively to speculation about a future role in Pirates 6, especially following his firing from the cast due to the abuse allegations. At the time, Depp said he had no plans of returning to the franchise, even if he was offered upwards of $300 million to reprise the role. It’s worth noting, however, that these comments came before claims that Depp’s attitude towards Disney had softened.
In any case, updates around development of Pirates 6 have emerged irregardless of Depp’s involvement. We do know that multiple screenwriters have tried their hand at the script, including The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin, and that previous castmates Orlando Bloom and Kaya Scodelario will likely return to the franchise. An official release date for Pirates 6 has yet to be announced.
