Actor Johnny Depp is synonymous with his character of the rum-soaked pirate Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The $4 billion franchise has been headlined by Depp since its first film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and is the only actor from the series, along with Geoffrey Rush’s Hector Barbosa to be featured in all the films of the franchise.
The last Pirates film was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which was a critical and commercial failure. While a sixth film was planned, Depp was ousted from the franchise due to his highly publicized domestic abuse allegations from ex-wife Amber Heard. Amidst speculations regarding the sixth film of the franchise, The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin revealed that his pitch for the sixth Pirates film was picked up by Disney.
Johnny Depp As Captain Jack Sparrow
While the hunt is on to find a suitable replacement for Johnny Depp in subsequent Pirates films, one can see why it is a task that is next to impossible. The actor defined the role, breathed life into it, and gave the character an iconography that has become part of pop culture.
Johnny Depp’s casting was not instantly approved by Disney during the development of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The studio wanted Matthew McConaughey for the role as he resembled actor Burt Lancaster, the inspiration for the character. The studio also pushed for Christopher Walken or Cary Elwes for Jack Sparrow.
However, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski thought that Johnny Depp brought a certain edge to the character, who was not supposed to be the protagonist of the film. Depp drew inspiration from the body language of rockstars for his portrayal of the pirate. He found similarities between rockstars and pirates and based his performance on Keith Richards, who ended up playing Sparrow’s father in the third Pirates film.
The Curse of the Black Pearl was a surprise blockbuster, earning over $650 million globally. It spawned four sequels, the last of which was branded as the weakest entry in the franchise. Rumors of the franchise being rebooted with a different actor started making the rounds after Disney cut off ties with Depp after the domestic abuse allegations surfaced.
Will Johnny Depp Return To The Pirates Franchise?
Currently, there has been no news about whether the next installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will be a sequel or a reboot. While Barbie actress Margot Robbie was rumored to have been cast as a replacement for Johnny Depp, there have been announcements.
Creator of the HBO show The Last Of Us Craig Mazin recently revealed that he had pitched a reboot of the franchise to Disney and that it had been picked up by the studio. Mazin mentioned that he agreed to work on the project if the studio was willing to bring back screenwriter Ted Elliott for the film. Elliott wrote all the Pirates films except the fifth one. Disney agreed to the condition.
Talking about the project with the Los Angeles Times, he said,
“We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did! And then he wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around.”
The Craig Mazin Pirates film was reported to be a reboot and the film was in development until this year’s WGA strike. However, the chances of Johnny Depp returning are slim. Disney has been non-committal about the possibilities of Depp’s return and the actor has also mentioned in court that he was disappointed with the way the studio handled the situation. While Depp did mention that he would return if the script was good and Mazin has assured that the script is ‘fantastic’, only the end of the WGA strike will reveal the answers. It all depends on Disney now.
Source: LA Times
Also read: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is Not the Only Iconic Movie Johnny Depp Has Stolen From Jim Carrey
