Johnny Depp Sets One Condition for a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ Return

Few movie characters are as tied to one performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. When ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ arrived in 2003, Depp’s turn as the eccentric pirate earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He went on to play the role in all five films released so far.

The road since then has been choppy. Depp last played Sparrow in 2017’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’, which earned nearly $800 million worldwide. After that, the franchise’s future got complicated fast.

Disney dropped Depp from the franchise in 2018, saying it wanted “new energy.” Then came the 2022 defamation trial against Amber Heard, where Depp testified that he felt betrayed by Disney and would not return as Sparrow even for $300 million and a million alpacas. For a while, that looked like the end of the story.

Now the tone is changing. A post from Culture Crave, citing ET Now, says Depp is open to coming back as Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ on one condition, and quotes him saying, “I want to send them off on a better note.”

That wish is not new. Back during the trial period, Depp said he had been approached to take part in writing ‘Pirates 6’ and felt the characters deserved to end their franchise on a good note. He also said during the trial that he was saddened not to get the chance to say farewell to Jack Sparrow after almost 20 years of playing the pirate.

The timing matters because the studio side has warmed up too. After his Disney Legends tribute at D23, longtime franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed that Depp is currently in talks to return for the sixth film. He stopped short of saying a deal had been reached.

Bruckheimer’s optimism has been building for a while. In August 2025, he said he had spoken with Depp and believed the actor would consider returning if he liked how the character was written. At D23, he said discussions were underway and that a screenplay was in the works.

The script may be where the “better note” gets decided. Writer Jeff Nathanson, who wrote ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales,’ is reportedly locking in the final details for the sixth film. Bruckheimer had previously described the project as a reboot, but said that if it were up to him, Depp would be in it.

There is still plenty of fog on the horizon. Details remain scarce on who will direct, what form the story will take, and whether Depp would be the central lead or share the film with a new generation of characters. As of now, Disney, Depp and Bruckheimer have not officially confirmed his return.

Disney has also been softening its stance for some time. The New York Times reported in 2023 that the company was leaving “the door open” to working with Depp again, and a former Disney executive said the franchise was primed for a reboot with him. Meanwhile, an all-female version starring Margot Robbie was reported to be on hold.

For fans, the appeal is easy to see. A franchise that lost its star under messy circumstances now has a chance at the kind of curtain call that most long-running series get to plan. Whether Depp’s version of a “better note” matches what Disney has in mind is the open question.

For now, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ is a project with a writer, a producer pushing for it, and a star who is at least willing to talk. No official release date has been announced. Until a deal is signed, Jack Sparrow is still a pirate without a ship.