Johnny Depp has responded to rumours he will return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after a report suggested he could be making amends with Disney.
Depp starred in the first five Pirates films as protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow, but he was not expected to return for the sixth instalment that is currently in the works.
On Monday, 27 June, a report from PopTopic cited a source who claimed Disney was 'very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp'.
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The report claimed Disney was preparing a $301 million contract deal for Depp, using it 'as a formal apology' and a way to get him back into the franchise. The source also claimed Disney had reached out to Depp to ask whether he would be interested in making a comeback before he began his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
"I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter, but I’m unsure how it was received. But what I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow – so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character," they told the publication.
The question of whether Depp would return to Pirates of the Caribbean is one that was brought up in the trial, during which time Depp confirmed he would turn down Disney even if they came to him with '$300 million and a million alpacas'.
Yesterday's report may have led many fans to believe there could be hope yet, but it looks like they may have to rely on re-watches to see Depp in action as the bumbling captain, as a representative for Depp shut down the rumours.
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In a statement to NBC News, per E! Online, a representative for the actor said: "This is made up."
Depp discussed his relationship with Disney in court and suggested on the stand that the company had 'cut ties' with him to 'be safe' as he faced accusations about being a 'wife beater'.
"Two years had gone by of constant worldwide talk about me being this wife beater... The #MeToo movement was in full swing at that point," he said.
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The actor noted that Disney did not remove the character of Captain Jack altogether, but suggested it simply did not want to be involved with him in the future, as he said: "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.”
Depp's final Pirates of the Caribbean film, Salazar's Revenge, was released in 2017.
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Topics: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Disney, Film and TV, Entertainment, Celebrity
Emily Brown