Is Captain Jack Sparrow finally setting sail again? After nearly a decade of speculation, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has given fans the clearest sign yet that Johnny Depp could be coming home to Pirates of the Caribbean.
The franchise has been dead in the water since 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, which closed out the series as its lowest-grossing entry at $795.9 million worldwide, a steep drop for a saga that has otherwise pulled in $4.5 billion globally across five films.
Depp’s exit from the franchise amid his highly publicized legal battles left Pirates 6 in a strange limbo, with writers cycling in and out and no clear direction on whether Jack Sparrow would even be part of it. That uncertainty has hung over the project for years.
Jerry Bruckheimer Confirms Talks With Johnny Depp Are Underway
Speaking with Deadline following his Disney Legends tribute at D23, Bruckheimer put the speculation to rest, at least partially.
“We’re talking with Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done,” he said.
It is not a confirmation that Depp is locked in, but it is the strongest indication yet that talks are active and moving.
Bruckheimer has kept the door open before. Last year, he told press that he considered Depp a friend and would want him involved if the choice were his alone. This new update suggests those private conversations have turned into something more concrete, even if a signed deal is not there yet.
Is Margot Robbie Taking Over Pirates of the Caribbean 6?
Here’s where things get complicated. Separate sources told Deadline that the next film will not be a straightforward Jack Sparrow adventure. Instead, the story is expected to center on a new protagonist played by Margot Robbie, with Sparrow reduced to a supporting role.
That framing lines up with reporting from last September, when Bruckheimer confirmed to TheWrap that Robbie’s involvement was real and that the studio had developed two different scripts along the way.
Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were attached early on before Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott reportedly took over the project. Whether the current screenplay Bruckheimer referenced is a version of that script or something new entirely is still unclear.
So the picture forming is not a full Depp-led reboot, but something closer to a passing of the torch, with Jack Sparrow possibly along for the ride rather than steering the ship.
For a franchise that revitalized Depp’s career back in 2003 and earned him an Oscar nomination, a return in any capacity would be a major moment for fans who have waited years for closure. Nothing is locked yet, no director has been named, and Disney has not commented publicly.
Until a deal is announced, Bruckheimer’s D23 update is the closest thing fans have to confirmation that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is actually moving forward.