‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Producer Jerry Bruckheimer Reveals Johnny Depp’s Future With the Franchise

Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer behind Top Gun and Pirates of the Caribbean, gave Entertainment Weekly a definitive update regarding Johnny Depp’s potential return to the swashbuckling franchise.

Bruckheimer previously teased back in March what fans can expect to see in the surprisingly “weird” sixth entry, the first since 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales. The new film is a reboot of the beloved franchise rather than a continuation of Captain Jack Sparrow’s arc.

But Bruckheimer is still holding out hope that Depp will one day return to the role which skyrocketed him to international fame. “It’s a reboot, but if it was up to me, he would be in it,” Bruckheimer lamented. “I love him. He’s a good friend. He’s an amazing artist and he’s a unique look.”

According to the producer, the franchise never would have reached the heights it did without Depp at the helm. “He created Captain Jack,” Bruckheimer admitted. “That was not on the page, that was him doing a little Pepé Le Pew and Keith Richards. That was his interpretation of Jack Sparrow.”

Depp has had a rocky road back to Hollywood after the very public trial between himself and ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse. A protracted court battle determined both former spouses had defamed each other, although sided primarily with Depp.

The actor, once the top star in the industry, recently returned to screens with a French-speaking role in Jeanne du Barry. The movie received mixed reviews, but Depp was largely praised for his understated performance. Still, he has no future projects on the horizon.

But if the Pirates reboot is a hit, it seems likely Depp will be welcomed back to the franchise in future installments.

Craig Mazin and Ted Elliot, who wrote four previous Pirates installments, revealed to the Los Angeles Times last August that they’d penned a particularly “weird” but “fantastic” script for the fifth sequel.

“We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird,” Mazin recalled of selling Disney on the project. “And they did! And then we wrote a fantastic script.”

This week, Bruckheimer told EW that Jeff Nathanson had completed a “great” draft of the screenplay, but it’s unclear if this is a version of the Mazin/Elliot story or a separate pass.

“He’s cracked it,” Bruckheimer said of Nathanson. “He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second and then we’ll get there. But he wrote a great, great third act.”

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 has yet to announce an official title and release date. The other five installments available to stream on Disney+.