Johnny Depp Says He Would Return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 to Give Jack Sparrow a Better Send-Off

Johnny Depp says he is open to playing Captain Jack Sparrow one more time, but only if the story gives Pirates of the Caribbean a stronger finish than the series got the last time. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight during the press tour for his new holiday film Ebenezer, Depp stopped short of confirming a return in the long-delayed Pirates of the Caribbean 6, while making clear that his friendship with franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer carries real weight.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl — Image: Promotional photograph from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Walt Disney Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Depp has not signed on, and Disney has not announced a cast, director, script approval or release date for the film
Depp said he would work with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on anything, depending on where the story is headed
Bruckheimer said at D23 in August that producers are talking to Depp while a screenplay is developed
Depp’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol opens in theaters on Nov. 13
The five Depp-led Pirates films grossed about $4.5 billion worldwide combined

What Depp Said About Returning as Jack Sparrow

The comments came in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that Variety reported on Nov. 2. Asked whether he would be involved in the next installment, Depp described a condition rather than a commitment. If the plans for how the studio will top off the series are where they need to be, he said, the only involvement he really wants is to “send them off on a better note.”

He was warmer when the subject turned to Bruckheimer, the producer who has overseen the franchise since the first film in 2003. Depp said he would go to work with Bruckheimer the very next day for anything, adding that he trusts him and that the two share a deep friendship. In other words, the answer was framed around a person as much as a project.

The response matters because Depp’s place in the series has been uncertain for years. He last played Jack Sparrow in 2017’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and his future with the Disney-backed franchise became a question mark during a stretch that included his legal disputes and the 2022 U.S. defamation trial involving Amber Heard. Depp did not say he has signed anything, and Disney has not confirmed his involvement in any new Pirates film.

Where Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Stands at Disney

Officially, there is no release date, no confirmed cast and no announced director for a sixth film. What exists is a long trail of updates from Bruckheimer, who has said for years that the studio wants to make the movie as soon as the screenplay is right.

The most recent update came on Aug. 16 at Disney’s D23 fan event in Anaheim, where Bruckheimer told Deadline, “We’re talking with Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay.” He added that he hoped the film could be completed. That followed an interview with Entertainment Weekly in summer 2025, in which he said he had spoken with Depp about returning and felt optimistic, noting that the part would need to appeal to the actor once it was on the page and that the team was close to a script it was happy with.

In early February, industry reporter Jeff Sneider reported that 1917 co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns was in talks to write a Pirates script centered on Jack Sparrow’s son, with Depp possibly returning in a smaller role. At the Producers Guild Awards on Feb. 28, Bruckheimer reportedly rejected claims that Disney was moving on from Depp. Disney has not confirmed any of the reported story details, and Bruckheimer has continued to describe the project as a work in progress.

Back in summer 2024, Bruckheimer told Entertainment Weekly that screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who wrote Dead Men Tell No Tales, had boarded the main Pirates 6 project. He praised Nathanson’s third act and said the first two acts still needed work. He has also called the film a reboot, though Disney has not said whether it will function as a direct sequel to the 2017 movie or as a fresh start.

From Two Projects to One: The Long Road to a Sixth Film

The path to Pirates of the Caribbean 6 has been unusually winding. In summer 2020, Variety reported that Disney had two Pirates projects in early development: a reboot led by Margot Robbie, with Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson attached, and a sixth film in the original series. In November 2022, Robbie told Vanity Fair that Disney was not interested in her more female-led version, which appeared to end that effort.

The idea did not disappear. In 2024, Bruckheimer described the situation as two different movies, with Nathanson working on the reboot and Hodson on the Robbie-centered film. In September 2025, he confirmed to TheWrap that reports of Robbie circling the project were true and that producers had developed two scripts at one point. Later reports suggested the ideas were being merged into a single film.

For Robbie, the franchise question is one of several on her plate. Readers following her other big-studio role can find the latest in our coverage of James Gunn’s comments on Harley Quinn and whether Robbie returns.

All of this has played out across a gap of more than nine years since the last film, a long wait for a series that once released a new chapter every few years.

Why Jack Sparrow Remains Central to the Franchise

The commercial case for bringing Depp back is easy to see. He headlined all five Pirates movies released between 2003 and 2017, and each one earned more than $650 million at the worldwide box office. Dead Man’s Chest in 2006 and On Stranger Tides in 2011 both passed $1 billion, and the five films together took in roughly $4.5 billion. For a broader look at the biggest earners in cinema history, see our guide to the highest-grossing movies of all time.

The character was also a creative breakthrough. Depp’s performance in 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl, directed by Gore Verbinski, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Bruckheimer has said the mannerisms of Jack Sparrow were Depp’s own invention rather than something written into the script, a blend of the cartoon skunk Pepé Le Pew and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Verbinski directed the first three films, Rob Marshall made On Stranger Tides, and Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg directed Dead Men Tell No Tales.

That history explains why the question of Jack Sparrow keeps resurfacing whenever a new Pirates story is discussed. A reboot with new characters could stand on its own, but the franchise has always been built around one performance, and Depp’s comments suggest he sees any return as a closing chapter rather than an open-ended comeback.

A Reboot That Still Needs Its Biggest Star

Disney is not the only studio weighing how much of a franchise’s past to carry forward. HBO is relaunching the wizarding world on television, a move explored in our look at how Harry Potter is starting over and what the franchise is betting. Casting for the next 007 is reportedly narrowing to a shortlist, as covered in our report on who will be the next James Bond, and the last time Bond reinvented itself is the subject of how GoldenEye saved James Bond.

Pirates sits in a similar position. The studio can start over with new characters, as the Robbie-led and Sparrow’s-son ideas suggest, or lean on the performer who made the first films a phenomenon. Depp’s framing of a return as a way to finish the series on a high points toward the second path, at least for a farewell appearance.

Depp’s Return to Studio Filmmaking With Ebenezer

Depp is currently promoting Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, Paramount’s darker take on the Charles Dickens story, which opens in theaters on Nov. 13. Ti West directed the film from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern, and Depp plays Ebenezer Scrooge. The cast includes Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Charlie Murphy, Ian McKellen and Tramell Tillman. Production took place in the United Kingdom, with filming underway by early February.

The first trailer debuted at San Diego Comic-Con this year, where Depp appeared on stage dressed as Scrooge. Paramount has also leaned into playful marketing, launching a real Venmo account for the character that sends fans a single cent back, as detailed in our story on Johnny Depp’s Scrooge joining Venmo.

The release marks a notable step in Depp’s career. His last major Hollywood studio film was 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and he was later replaced in that series. With Ebenezer arriving this month and a Lionsgate thriller, Day Drinker, set for 2028, Depp is returning to major studio releases after several years away from them. How audiences respond to Ebenezer will be watched closely by anyone tracking whether his big-studio career is entering a new phase.

Pirates Beyond the Movies

While the film remains in development, the franchise is still active elsewhere. Secret Cinema’s Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Immersive Adventure in London has cast George Maguire as Captain Jack Sparrow and extended its run, details of which are in our report on the immersive show’s casting and extension. The production shows that demand for the world of the Black Pearl has not faded, even without a new film.

What Happens Next

For now, the facts are straightforward. Depp is open to returning but has not committed, Bruckheimer says talks are ongoing, and the screenplay is still being developed. Disney has not announced a director, a cast, a production start or a release window, and Bruckheimer has said previously that the studio will not move forward unless the script is right.

Several milestones will shape what comes next. The first is a finished screenplay that satisfies both the producers and Disney. The second is a formal agreement with Depp, if the studio and the actor decide the character should return. The third is the reception of Ebenezer when it reaches theaters on Nov. 13, which will offer the clearest public read yet on the audience for Depp’s new work.

Until then, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 remains one of Hollywood’s longest-running maybes, now with a little more clarity on how its biggest star feels about it.

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