Producer Jerry Bruckheimer Says Johnny Depp Is Interested In Returning To ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ If He Likes The Script

Per Collider, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has stated in an interview that he spoke to star Johnny Depp about returning to the franchise, and the Jack Sparrow actor is interested in doing so on one condition.

Depp has so far appeared in all five entries of the swashbuckling series, from 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl to 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, with the franchise grossing over $4.5 billion worldwide. A follow-up to the latter was put into doubt, however, when Disney cut ties with him in 2018 after ex-wife, Amber Heard, brought up allegations of domestic abuse.

Now, things seem to be back on track as Bruckheimer explained:

If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it. It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know.

Bruckheimer also praised the script, having brought screenwriter Jeff Nathanson on board last year, saying:

I think he’s cracked it…He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second, and then we’ll get there.

During the hiatus of the franchise, a spin-off starring Margot Robbie was being discussed, but the Barbie star explained in 2022 that “Disney was no longer interested”.

Bruckheimer, however, thinks there’s room for both projects:

We hope to get ’em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too.

Depp may not be the only original actor to return to the high seas, either, as Will Turner actor Orlando Bloom explained that the producers were looking for a way to bring Depp, himself, and Keira Knightley back as well:

…I think they’re trying to work out what it would all look like. I, personally, think it would be great to get the band back together. That would be great. But there are always different ideas, so we’ll see where it lands.

In the meantime, Depp has been working to revitalize his career, next appearing in Lionsgate’s thriller Day Drinker, and collaborating with Ridley Scott on a graphic novel centered around the character of Mr. Hyde from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.