Johnny Depp recently slipped into the role of Jack Sparrow to deliver a special video message as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation program, but is this the only time we will see him in the role again? Not if Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has anything to do with it. Despite the franchise having hit a low with its last installment, and Depp’s recent legal troubles with ex-wife Amber Heard, it seems that Bruckheimer is still oddly optimistic about bringing Depp back for a sixth movie at some point. While speaking with AP Entertainment, the producer said:

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is without doubt Depp’s vehicle, but following the original trilogy, the subsequent On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales/Salazar’s Revenge failed to capture the same magic despite Depp being in his usual form as Captain Jack. It is unclear whether a further sequel would suffer a similar fate, but it certainly wouldn’t be plain sailing for many reasons.

“We’re still working on it. Nothing’s definite yet, but we continue to take little baby steps getting towards a screenplay.”

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Then, of course, all of this is irrelevant unless Depp decides that he wants to return to the franchise. Recently Depp was quoted as saying he had no interest in playing Jack Sparrow again for Disney and seems quite happy just using the character for charitable appearances. So unless everything comes together just right, Bruckheimer’s positivity could just be wishful thinking.

Has Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow Return Put a Hold on Margot Robbie’s Pirates Movie?

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In 2020, it seemed that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was ready to continue with a sixth movie, but Margot Robbie would replace Johnny Depp as the movie’s lead. This seemed to be moving forward for a while until last month, when it was reported that the sequel was not happening anymore. Since then, Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that Margot Robbie’s Pirates movie was still potentially happening, but they had another script they wanted to do first. He commented:

Following his recent comments about Depp, it looks likely that the “other script” discussed a few weeks ago is focused on bringing back Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow for one last huzzah and could potentially lead to Margot Robbie taking over the franchise. It would certainly make sense for Depp to get another Pirates movie before the soft reboot that would usher in Robbie’s story, and fans of both the franchise and Depp would no doubt love to see the character get a proper and worthy send-off.

“I think that that script will come forward at a certain point. We developed two different stories for Pirates and the other one’s going forward first, so that’s what we’re working on, to try to get that one made.”

Still, all of this does rely on Depp wanting to play the role on film again after noting in his libel trial that he would not work for Disney again after feeling “betrayed” by them over their reaction to the allegations made by Amber Heard against him. So it seems like there is still some way to go before this is resolved one way or the other.