Eye-watering paycheck Johnny Depp could get from new Pirates of the Caribbean movie as potential cast revealed
Johnny Depp could be heading back to the high seas as Captain Jack Sparrow, with talks underway over a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
The Hollywood star has been absent from the Disney franchise since 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, despite playing the eccentric pirate across all five films.
Now, on the other hand, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has offered the clearest indication yet that Depp could be involved in the next instalment, years after his future with Disney appeared to be over.
The franchise has certainly proved lucrative in the past, bringing in around $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office and turning Sparrow into one of Depp’s most recognisable roles. If the actor does agree to return, his potential payday could be enormous in its own right.
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Depp could reportedly be in line for around $22.5 million if he reprises the role, a figure previously linked to a proposed sixth movie before plans fell apart.
The sum emerged during Depp’s 2022 defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, when his former agent Jack Whigham testified that the actor had been expected to earn $22.5 million for another Pirates film.
As noted by the Daily Mail, Whigham said at the time: “It was trending badly in the late fall on behalf of Disney.
“But Jerry Bruckheimer and I were lobbying to make it happen, and so we had hope. And it became clear to me in early 2019 that it was over.”
That does not mean Depp has now been offered the same amount, but the old figure gives an idea of the sort of money that had previously been attached to his return.
More recently, Bruckheimer confirmed discussions with Depp at D23.
He told Deadline: “We’re talking with Johnny [Depp], we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done.”
There could also be a major shake-up to the familiar Pirates formula if the movie moves forward.
Deadline reports that sources have said the next chapter would focus on Margot Robbie’s protagonist, with Sparrow appearing as a side character rather than taking centre stage.
That would seemingly bring together two strands of the franchise’s future which had previously appeared separate, after Robbie was linked to her own Pirates project.
Depp’s possible return would mark a dramatic change after he previously indicated he had no interest in working with Disney again. The actor had previously declared he would never reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, even if he were offered ‘$300m and a million alpacas’.
That said, his career has since begun moving back towards major studio films.
Depp is starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in the upcoming Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, whilst also set to appear alongside Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline in the action thriller Day Drinker.
Topics: Johnny Depp, Disney, Hollywood, Entertainment
Ben Williams