It’s been seven years since Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow sailed off into the sunset at the end of the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Since then, the 60-year-old star has been dropped by Disney after domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wife Amber Heard, which the actor strongly denies.
Yet having won a US libel case against her, fans are ever hopeful that he will make a return in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, which Depp had planned to be a proper send-off to his much-loved character.
During the court proceedings, the A-lister said he wouldn’t reprise Sparrow with Disney for even hundreds of millions of dollars.
Yet a couple of years after the dust has settled and with all the fan enthusiasm surrounding the idea, it now feels all the more likely.
The most recent rumour is that Disney would like Depp (who stars in Alice Through The Looking Glass on BBC Two this afternoon) to return as Captain Jack in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but in a supporting role. Some fans have baulked at this, while others pointed out that he was already in such a part in the original trilogy with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, even being nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Yet what does the star himself think? Express.co.uk spoke exclusively with a respected industry source on the matter.
The insider told us: “The future is as deep and dark as Jack Sparrow’s mysterious, murky waters of the deep blue sea. The future with the Disney production is as cryptic as a pirate’s treasure map. Putting Johnny Depp in the role again and properly promoting it would be hard to top, and a windfall for the franchise. I’m sure Jack Sparrow longs for his desert islands. The character longs to continue his journeys into uncharted oceans but the incredibly talented actor has many scripts that he has to navigate through, and has to decide if Jack Sparrow deserves a second life.”
The source also warned that Disney studio bosses need to listen carefully to what fans of their franchises want, following recent misfires with Marvel and Star Wars.
The source added: “What the higher-ups at Disney, Warner et al have forgotten is that the disregard for a certain audience is probably one of the biggest stories in entertainment from the last decade. Those audiences were taken for granted and with their money assumed to be guaranteed, focus shifted to other things. It isn’t going to change unless there’s a very hard line taken by the people holding the purse strings.
“With the superhero era seemingly over, there’s no easy solution here, but there are some obvious seeming things to do: Look for IP and brands with resonance for the audience that can become ‘events’, seek to cut budgets (meaning in some cases: aspire for $150m, not $250m), be more cautious with outsized and low ROI above-the-line fees (except to proven brands like Christopher Nolan), manage franchise quality and fan community carefully (huge failings with both Marvel and Star Wars), and make smaller, genre-driven bets in the $15-25 million range.”
Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said he’d love for Depp to return as Captain Jack, so here’s hoping some official news on that Disney franchise isn’t too far around the corner.
