Johnny Depp Once Again Steps Into Character as Captain Jack Sparrow

Johnny Depp has briefly assumed the role of Captain Jack Sparrow once more. The 59-year-old reprised the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean role in a video message addressed to an 11-year-old superfan named Kori. The young fan, who has received two heart transplants and is currently in palliative care, wrote in a Dec. 11 post that Depp collaborated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to create the video after hearing about his recently launched pirate-themed YouTube channel, Kraken the Box. "Captain Kori, terribly sorry I missed out on this. Meant to say it, forgot to say it, didn't say it, gonna say it now. Saying it, I'll say it," began Depp, dressed and in character as Jack Sparrow. "I hear tales of something they speak about in the ages of now called the YouTube channel, which I don't understand, but why not?"

"Quite the YouTube channel man," Depp said of Kori, promising to watch his videos and tell all his friends to subscribe. "That, I think, will make for a wonderful entertainment expertise momentary lapse of togetherness altogether in one space but far apart—but then, at the same time, very close," Depp continued. "Curious, enduring, and strange." As he wished Kori "the best of luck" in his new venture, the actor stated, "I am your No. 1 fan, Captain Kori." Thousands of new subscribers have joined Kori's channel since he uploaded Depp's video message. As of publishing time, he has reached over 179,000 subscribers since he started the account in November.

Make-A-Wish contacted Depp with a "timely ask" about surprising Kori, who has been recovering from heart surgeries while watching Pirates movies, a source close to Depp told E! News. Kori later shared footage from a FaceTime call with Depp, still dressed as Jack Sparrow, on Dec. 13. "Hello Kori, how are you?" Depp asked, causing the child to exclaim, "Really, really good." During the call, Depp complimented Kori's "wonderful chapeau" similar to what Jack Sparrow wore, before suggesting he "knight" him as a pirate. According to Depp, "I thought it only right." 

Depp starred as Jack Sparrow in all five Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the latest of which was Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. During his defamation trial against Amber Heard earlier this year, the star stated he was not interested in working on more Pirates movies. Despite this, producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently hinted a return for Jack Sparrow may still be on the table. "We're still working on it," he told Associated Press. "Nothing is definitive yet, but we continue to take little baby steps towards a screenplay."