Johnny Depp is currently on a trial with Amber Heard due o the allegations made against the actor years ago. It dragged down his image and led to him losing quite a few roles, which included getting replaced in the Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore and even a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film. At one point, it was rumored that Margot Robbie joined the franchise but we haven’t gotten an update on that in quite some time. He states that the film hasn’t been produced and is in “dangle mode” since he was dropped from the project by Disney.
He went on to highlight that even though they’ve distanced themselves from the actor, it never stopped the company from using the character he played in their various merchandise and rides. In last year’s E3 event we even got the reveal of Jack Sparrow and elements from Pirates of the Carribbean being added to the popular pirate game Sea of Thieves, which he certainly had no say in considering he brought the character to life.
They didn’t remove my character from the rides. They didn’t stop selling dolls of Captain Jack Sparrow. They didn’t stop selling anything. They just didn’t want there to be something trailing behind me that they’d find.
Johnny Depp
It definitely left some deep scars, especially with the general effect these allegations have had on his career. When asked if he’d return to work on a new entry if Disney offered him “$300 million and a million alpacas” he’d still refused to return to the franchise. It’s a harsh statement but an understandable one given the way how the events unfold. For now, if Disney decides to move forward with the franchise, they won’t be able to rely on Jack Sparrow to keep the boat afloat.
Source: Variety
