Former Disney Executive Thinks Johnny Depp Will Return to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’

It was previously announced that Johnny Depp’s time with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has come to an end, but one former Disney executive thinks the actor will return in the wake of his defamation court case with ex-wife Amber Heard. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, the unnamed former executive said, “I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture.”

The source added, “With [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, there is huge appetite for bringing back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises.” Notably, PEOPLE states that it reached out to Disney or comment but had not heard back at the time of this writing. Additionally, a separate source offered an opposing perspective telling the outlet that it’s “not very likely” Depp would “come back as a star, but they’d probably make Pirates 6 with Margot Robbie or someone similar.”

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There’s been lots of talk about the chances that Depp could return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and Bruckheimer even previously revealed his perspective on the matter. While speaking to the Sunday Times, Bruckheimer was asked if Depp would be involved in the next film. “Not at this point,” he said, then adding, “The future is yet to be decided.”

It was recently announced that the sixth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise would star Robbie as a new character. However, this is not necessarily a permanent new direction for the franchise, as Bruckheimer clarified, “We’re developing two Pirates scripts. One with her, one without.” 

Depp first debuted as Captian Jack Sparrow back in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He earned an Academy Award nomination for the role, and went on to reprise in four more films: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). However, it was first reported in 2018 that Depp will not be returning as Captain Jack.

“I think he’s had a great run. Obviously, he’s made that character his own and it’s become the character he’s most famous for now,” screenwriter Stuart Beattie previously told the Daily Mail. “And kids all over the world love him as that character so I think it’s been great for him, it’s been great for us, so I’m just very, very happy about it.”

“I think Jack Sparrow will be his legacy. It’s the only character he’s played five times, it’s the character he dresses up in to visit children in hospitals, it’s what he’ll be remembered for,” Beattie added of Depp. “Before Jack Sparrow came along, [Depp] was considered this kind of quirky, independent actor that made these really cool little Tim Burton films, but he was by no means a movie star and a lot of people thought we were crazy for casting him at the time.”