Disney is working to revive The Pirates of the Caribbean series, according to a Disney CEO.
As the head of production at Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Sean Bailey said in an interview with the newspaper The New York Times Revitalizing the Pirates of the Caribbean series is a priority for the company along with turning several of the company’s animated classics into live-action films, the latest being The Little Mermaid.
“We think we have a really good and interesting story that honors films that have come before but also has something new to say,” Bailey said. But regarding Johnny Depp’s return to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow and command of the Black Pearl once again, he said: ‘Not binding at this point’.
Last year, it was reported that Depp had left the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with no intention of returning. The actor was embroiled in a $100 million defamation lawsuit over an article his ex-wife Amber Heard wrote in The Washington Post about domestic violence she allegedly experienced during their relationship, which Depp won. During his cross-examination during the trial, Depp admitted that Disney removed him from Pirates of the Caribbean six days after the op-ed was published. He went so far as to say that “nothing on this earth” would make him reprise the role of Jack Sparrow for Disney.
Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer said Depp is not involved in the sixth film and its sequel, but his absence from the series remains unconfirmed. “The future has not yet been decided,” he said at the time.
It’s true that the Pirates franchise is still in a state of flux, but Bruckheimer has previously said that the spinoff starring Margot Robbie hasn’t been definitely canceled yet.
