Johnny Depp Could Return As Jack Sparrow For A New Pirates Of The Caribbean Movie

While the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise has given fans some pretty great examples of swashbuckling tentpole fantasy adventures, the property has also been yielding diminishing returns both critically and commercially for years. Perhaps because of this, rumors of Disney trying to once again recapture the lightning in the rum bottle are swirling once more.

According to Variety, the House of Mouse is eyeing none other than Johnny Depp for one more swaying stroll in Captain Jack Sparrow's boots. Depp is far from a lock at the moment, though. Disney dropped the actor like a hot potato in 2018, in the wake of Amber Heard's domestic abuse allegations. However, the ensuing defamation trial ended in Depp's victory in 2022, which may have made him more presentable in Disney's eyes ... though not necessarily vice versa.

As it stands, it appears that the future of the "Pirates" franchise is at a Depp-themed crossroads. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is supervising two different "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie scripts, only one of which has room for Sparrow. As such, Depp's potential involvement — should Disney be able to approach the actor, let alone secure his signature — will presumably determine the direction of the next entry. "Nothing has been ruled out," a source told Variety.

Though "Pirates of the Caribbean" isn't exactly sailing the zeitgeist wave and its most recent installment was 2017's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," it remains far and away the most successful attraction-based Disney movie franchise — and the only one that can even be called a franchise at all. "Tomorrowland" failed at the box office, and while "Jungle Cruise" is a decent enough adventure and "Haunted Mansion" is a surprisingly creepy affair, they both failed to make anywhere near as big a splash as "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and its first two sequels did.

Captain Jack Sparrow is easily the breakout character of the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, and is so synonymous with the franchise that all five movies so far have featured him in a central role, whether they really benefit from his presence or not. The property has been so hesitant to explore its vast mythology and world full of colorful characters without Depp that despite the actor's well-documented issues with Disney, it's not the biggest surprise in the world to hear that the company might like to secure him for another turn as Sparrow. Still, regardless of what happens, the multiple scripts in development indicate that the public will get more "Pirates of the Caribbean" before long — whether Depp is involved or not.