“This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost canceled Captain Jack Sparrow.”
Johnny Depp is said to be receiving more than $300 million to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, which is mired in controversy. This follows his abrupt removal from the franchise in 2018 following abuse allegations by ex-girlfriend Amber Heard. According to a new interview with Aussie outlet Poptopic, a source close to Disney revealed the news.
“The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow,” the little leaking birdie claimed to the Down Under entertainment website.
The actor who starred in “Donnie Brasco” in 1998 played the swashbuckling buccaneer in five “Pirates” movies over the last 19 years. But Disney dropped him from the sixth and final installment in 2018 after the actor, 36-year-old Heard, wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post that accused Depp of being a domestic abuser. This reportedly caused Depp to lose out on a $22.5 million payday.
It appears that the House of Mouse is reconsidering their decision to fire Depp from his role in the upcoming movie “Pirates of the Caribbean.” This change of heart may be due to Depp’s recent win in his highly publicized defamation suit.
“Disney are very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp,” the source alleged to Pop topic. “They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another ‘Pirates’ film or two.”
Per the E! Network, a source connected to actor reportedly told NBC News that “this is made up” — but reps for Depp and Disney have yet to respond to The Post’s request for confirmation.
Meanwhile, a new deal worth $301 million is in the works. This new deal would reportedly have Depp return as Jack Sparrow in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and also star in a spin-off series on Disney+.
“What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow, so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character,” the source claimed.
Disney is planning to make more Pirates of the Caribbean movies, after the actor who plays Sparrow won his defamation trial, according to a source.
“I absolutely believe post-verdict that ‘Pirates’ is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board,” the source said in an interview with People magazine earlier this month. “There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture,” they added.
Depp was awarded more than $10 million in his defamation case against Heard earlier this month. A jury in Fairfax, Virginia, found that Heard had lied about Depp and said that she was only awarded $2 million in damages because one of Depp’s lawyers was also found to have lied.
However, the “Aquaman” actress reportedly plans to file an appeal after her and Depp’s attorneys were unable to reach a last-minute settlement Friday.
(Fanfest)
