Actor Jonny Depp has starred in many iconic roles throughout his career. He has made a lasting impact on films such as Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco, and Alice in Wonderland. However, nothing is as recognizable as his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp played the rum-obsessed genius pirate in five films, starting in 2003.
Johnny Depp was reportedly removed from his role by Disney after allegations by his ex-wife Amber Heard surfaced about him being a physical abuser. Depp filed a defamation case against Heard and after a publicized trial, the allegations were put into question. With the verdict out, fans are eagerly waiting for the actor to return to the classic role. Among them is Pirates co-star Vince Lozano.
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
Audiences were first introduced to Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow in Gore Verbinsky’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The film was based on the theme park ride by Disney and was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Depp was chosen over seasoned actors such as Jim Carrey, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Keaton, and Christopher Walken.
Despite reservations from Disney at the time about films based on theme park rides, The Curse of the Black Pearl was a box office success, earning over $654 million globally against a $140 million budget. The swashbuckler turned Jonny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow into an iconic pop culture character.
Jonny Depp reprised his role in all subsequent films, which included Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End, On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales. While the sequels have received mixed responses as compared to the first one, Depp still remains the only actor to have appeared in all of the films. A sixth film was reported to be in development, however, Depp was informally removed from the project after his ex-wife Amber Heard penned an op-ed newspaper article revealing that Depp had physically abused her.
Will Johnny Depp Return As Captain Jack Sparrow?
The op-ed article and the subsequent lawsuits against Johnny Depp cost the actor many roles. Warner Brothers let him go from the Wizarding World’s Fantastic Beasts films, where he played Gellert Grindelwald. The actor was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the third film of the franchise The Secrets of Dumbledore. However, the biggest blow to the actor was a sixth Pirates film being developed without him.
Since the Depp v Heard trial ended, the fans have been demanding the actor’s return to the iconic role. In fact, even before the verdict turned in Depp’s favor, fans of the actor campaigned for justice with many viral campaigns. The trial was extremely publicized with many on Depp’s side, sharing memes, TikToks, and videos of the live trial. However, Depp mentioned during the trial that he would not want to return as he was not happy with the way Disney handled the issue.
Apart from fans, many industry insiders are also hoping the actor would take up the role. Among them is his co-star in the Pirates series, Vince Lozano, who plays Jacoby in the series. In an interview with Movieweb about his time on the series, the actor spoke about Johnny Depp’s potential return to the series,
“I think he deserves another shot as Jack, but I don’t think it’s going to happen, I’m hearing a lot of stories out there. The audience is there though. I do a lot of pirate conventions and there’s such a big subculture of people that dress up like pirates, and they love Johnny.”
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer also mentioned that he would want to develop the next film with Depp. He was the one who cast him in the first film as he felt that Depp would bring a certain edge to the character. Much before the trial, the producer said,
“He’s just so good at what he does and actors recover from things like this. He’s a good individual and he’s a caring individual. He’s somebody that you can rely on and he’s just terrific. I think Johnny is an utter friend and an amazing artist and, again, you go through things in life you wish you hadn’t, but he’s still a talented artist.”
While there were plans for a reboot of the franchise, with Barbie star Margot Robbie headlining the project, there has been no confirmation on the news and fans are still hoping for Captain Jack Sparrow to return.
Source: Movieweb
Also read: Even After 40 years in Hollywood, Johnny Depp Can Not Stand One Thing on His Movie Set
