It seems that Johnny Depp’s run as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series has come to an end.
The series accumulated more than $4.5-billion (R65-billion) with five films made over 14 years. It is the twelfth most successful film franchise of all time.
Depp (57) was reportedly poised to make a cameo appearance in the next instalment but this has been curtailed by Disney, according to The Independent.
According to reports, film producer Jerry Bruckheimer was keen to feature Jack Sparrow’s character in the upcoming sequel, but Disney “baulked” at the idea.
The studio, however, has never officially severed ties with the actor and it is unclear whether Depp will ever reprise his role as Sparrow.
In 2018, the screenwriter of the original film, Stuart Beattie, said of Depp: “I think he’s had a great run.” This appeared to be a confirmation that the actor’s time portraying the character had come to an end.
Depp’s studio trouble began after he was accused of domestic violence. He resigned from Warner Bros studios’ Fantastic Beasts franchise after he lost a libel case in November 2020 against The Sun over a 2018 article that labelled him a “wife beater”. The studio requested that he resign.
Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald in the third instalment of the Harry Potter spinoff series, after he was denied permission against the High Court’s ruling.
The court found that Depp had assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard (34).
Depp maintains his innocence and claims he was never violent towards Heard. The actor’s supporters started a petition to remove Heard from her role in the Aquaman sequel. Her role has been under increased scrutiny since Depp lost his libel case.
The petition has been signed by more than 1.7-million people – its stated goal is 3 million signatures.
Heard reportedly told Entertainment Weekly that “Paid rumours and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality.”
It emerged that Depp allegedly previously tried to get Heard removed from her role as Mera in the Aquaman movies after their relationship ended.
Pirates of the Caribbean is reportedly returning with a new film in the series. Australian actor Margot Robbie will play the lead role.
Picture: Instagram
