Johnny Depp open to Jack Sparrow return if Pirates of the Caribbean gets a proper ending

A conditional yes

Johnny Depp has said he could return as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, but only if the franchise's ending is handled the way he wants. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, reported on 3 November 2026, the 63-year-old actor said the one involvement he truly wanted was helping the series end on a better note. He was speaking about the fifth and so far last film, which was released in 2017 and failed with both audiences and critics.

“If things are exactly where they need to be with regard to how they are going to top off the Pirates thing.”

Depp also said he would work with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on anything, adding that he trusts him and that the two share a deep friendship. Asked whether he would take part in the next film, he framed his answer around that farewell rather than around a fixed role.

Producer keeps the door open

Bruckheimer told the trade magazine Deadline at D23 in August that the studio was talking with Depp, that a screenplay was in development and that he hoped the project could be made. He has also praised Depp in strong terms, calling him a good friend and a great artist with a unique look. Insiders cited by Deadline said Depp's character would not be the focus of the next film, which would instead center on a new character played by Margot Robbie, 36, in what was described as an 'evolution of the franchise'. Bruckheimer had earlier addressed speculation that the story would focus on Robbie's character and the son of Captain Jack Sparrow. February reports said Krysty Wilson-Cairns, an Oscar nominee for 1917, was writing a new script aimed at a more modest budget.

Rift and old disputes

Depp said during his defamation trial that Disney had dropped him from the films. Amber Heard, his ex-wife, was found by a jury to have defamed him in a 2018 Washington Post article, and the case drew global media attention. Depp won on three points in the court case, but his reputation was damaged, according to stern.de. A reboot of the series has been discussed for several years, and a spin-off starring Robbie was reported but is not expected to materialise. La Razon described the Depp and Heard divorce as the factor that complicated the franchise's future.

Other voices and open questions

Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three films, told ScreenRant in January that he had no plans to return to the saga. Orlando Bloom, who played Will Turner in the original trilogy, recently teased that there might be a world where the cast gets back together. Disney has not given a green light to the project, and details of the next instalment remain scarce. Depp's condition, a farewell that the studio and producers have not defined publicly, is the only firm point in the reporting so far.