Johnny Depp and the Next Pirates of the Caribbean Movie

Many fans have been disappointed due to Johnny Depp getting fired from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise due to the situation with Amber Heard, where Johnny was blamed for abusing his ex-wife. However, the claims were false. Margot Robbie will be replacing Depp for the role of Jack Sparrow in the upcoming movie of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  After Depp won the defamation case against Heard, Depp received a letter from Disney offering his job back as Captain Jack Sparrow in the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Due to their lack of support, Depp declined the offer. 

Had Johnny not been fired from Disney, his initial salary for being in the movie would have been around $22.5 million. The producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, also said that had Depp been in the movie, this most likely would have been his last time playing Captain Jack Sparrow. There are some speculations going around that Depp might come back to the franchise, and be paid handsomely for it. Fans all around are hoping that Depp takes the deal, because after all, what would we do without our iconic Captain? However, the whole plotline of the movie will be changed due to Depp’s absence. The new movie will not be following the previous one. Essentially, it will be a spin off of the original movies, with new characters and an original story. 

Depp was cut off from the franchise in 2018 when the case with Heard started. Disney said it would be better for business to cut him off completely, so if he lost the case, they could not take any blame for it. However, when Depp won the trial, Disney was extremely upset over the loss of a great actor. After firing Depp, Disney continued to use the character Captain Sparrow as a selling point. Toys were still being sold, and his name and picture were not being taken off theme park rides. They didn’t want to deal with a lawsuit had Depp lost the case, but they were willing to continue to use his character as a selling point. Depp quotes, “They didn’t stop selling anything. They just didn’t want there to be something trailing behind me that they’d find.” 

Depp simply refuses to go back to Disney no matter how much they offer, because it’s something deeper than money for him. Although he loved playing Jack, it’s the betrayal he felt. There’s nothing Disney can do to get him back. By firing him, they also lost his trust. The people he had worked with and trusted for a long time stabbed him in the back due to a dip in the road. They did not stand by him in his time of need; they threw him to the side for their own safety and then wanted him back once he was proven innocent. 

Depp was passionate about his role as Jack Sparrow. He said that the writers initially did not like the character but he delivered the role so well that he became their favorite. He got into character so well that the writers couldn’t even write scripts for him anymore. Depp was able to tap into his role, see into Jack Sparrow’s mind and create a funny and lovable character. 

Many fans demand that Disney adds Depp to the movie, saying “Do not release that movie without Johnny in it.” Fans are just as disappointed in Disney as Depp is, saying that plenty of companies still kept him and helped him through the process, whereas Disney just fired him. Although their motives do make sense, it’s still sad to see an actor be fired from movies people grew up with, especially after his trial, and possibly one of the most difficult things he’s gone through in life. 

Depp is a legendary actor. His disappointment from losing his favorite role is far greater than any fans. Although they offered Depp back his spot in the movie, he refuses to go back. “There was a deep and distinct sense of feeling betrayed by the people that I’ve worked hard for,” he quotes.