Amid his messy defamation trial with ex-wife and actress Amber Heard, Johnny Depp has stated that the 2018 Washington Post Op-ed written by Amber Heard has cost him the role as Captain Jack Sparrow in a reported 6th installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Johnny Depp has played the iconic role of the captain in each installment of the blockbuster franchise.

Jerry Bruckheimer, who has produced every installment in the series, had this to say on Depp’s involvement in a 6th film. “Not at this point,” Bruckheimer said to The Times. “The future is yet to be decided.”

However, the producer confirmed that they are in development for an 6th film, this one with a female lead. “We’re talking to Margot Robbie,” he said. “We are developing two ‘Pirates’ scripts — one with her, one without.” The Suicide Squad and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actress is on a roll with her recent starring appearances as Harley Quinn and Sharon Tate.

This new direction for the franchise is something that could almost be seen as welcome in some viewers minds. A fresh start is a welcoming idea to the admittedly stale franchise. The last film was 2017’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, a film that limped into theaters after years of development issues and was panned by critics at the finish line.