Johnny Depp in talks to return as Captain Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’

WASHINGTON: Actor Johnny Depp is in talks to reprise his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in a potential sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed, signalling a possible return for the actor to one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.

“We’re talking with Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done,” Bruckheimer told Deadline at D23. Additional insiders told the outlet that the sixth instalment will focus on a protagonist played by Margot Robbie, with Depp expected to return as a side character.

Jerry Bruckheimer reveals conversations have been had with Johnny Depp about returning as Captain Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ | #D23 pic.twitter.com/52iJn7apD1

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) August 16, 2026

Depp first portrayed Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 film ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, directed by Gore Verbinski. He starred alongside Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann.

He returned for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ in 2006 and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’ in 2007. Depp subsequently appeared in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ (2011) and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ (2017).

As per Page Six, the franchise has earned more than USD 4.5 billion worldwide across its five films, despite the most recent instalment recording a dip from its predecessor.

Talk of a sixth film has continued for years. In 2018, screenwriter Stuart Beattie had suggested that Depp could be retiring from the role. “I think he’s had a great run,” Beattie said, adding,”Obviously, he has made that character his own and it has become the character he is most famous for now,” as quoted by Page Six.

He added, “And kids all over the world love him as that character so I think it has been great for him, it has been great for us, so I am just very, very happy about it. I think Jack Sparrow will be his legacy. It is the only character he has played five times.”

Depp is also set to appear as Ebenezer Scrooge in the upcoming film ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’, scheduled for release on November 13. He appeared in character at San Diego Comic-Con in July, where his appearance drew attention for his transformation into the literary character.

Johnny Depp’s potential return as Captain Jack Sparrow would mark a significant development in his film career and a remarkable turn in his relationship with Hollywood.

His upcoming role in ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ would be his first major film project since his highly publicised 2022 defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp sued Heard over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse survivors.

As per Page Six, a Virginia jury ultimately found Heard liable for defamation and awarded Depp USD 10.35 million in damages, while Heard was awarded USD 2 million on one of her counterclaims. The former couple later reached a settlement under which Depp received USD 1 million.

The legal battle followed a difficult period in Depp’s career. In 2018, Disney dropped him from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise amid allegations of domestic abuse, and he subsequently faced what he described as a Hollywood “boycott”. During this period, he was portrayed by some in the industry as “box-office poison,” a label that further reflected the dramatic downturn in his mainstream career.

Depp has repeatedly spoken about feeling ostracised by Hollywood. As per People magazine, in a 2021 interview, he explicitly said that he believed there had been a “boycott” against him. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, however, he said that although he had absolutely felt boycotted when he was asked to step down from the Pirates franchise, he no longer felt that way because he had stopped thinking about Hollywood and no longer felt the need for the mainstream studio system.

His stance toward Disney has also remained firm. According to People magazine, Depp said he would not return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise even for “USD 300 million and a million alpacas,” arguing that he did not want to work with a studio that, in his view, had failed to stand by him. (ANI)