Is Johnny Depp Returning as Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’?
Saga producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed in an interview that the actor is willing to come back
There was a time when the seas of cinema seemed to have an owner. That owner wore braids, a tilted hat, and walked with a swagger somewhere between drunkenness and genius. Today, after years of uncertainty, the name Jack Sparrow is once again stirring the waters. Johnny Depp might be hoisting the sails once more for Pirates of the Caribbean.
And no, this isn’t just a tavern rumor. Jerry Bruckheimer, the saga’s producer, revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the actor is open to returning… if the script wins him over.
“If he likes how the role is written, I think he would do it,” Bruckheimer hinted, emphasizing that it all depends on achieving “the perfect script.”
Pirates of the Caribbean is nothing without Jack Sparrow, and Jack Sparrow is nothing without Johnny Depp. https://t.co/PCm0u0C2RM pic.twitter.com/E7ZEbqnoK0
— best of jack sparrow ☠︎︎ (@bestjacksparrow) August 12, 2025
From Stormy Seas to Clearer Horizons
After the controversy and media trial involving Amber Heard, which in 2020 seemed to bury the character under a mountain of headlines, Disney changed course and turned to alternative projects, including a spin-off starring Margot Robbie.
But the tide shifted in 2022, when Depp won a partial victory in the U.S. trial, and interest in his return surged. The Robbie project cooled, and the possibility of continuing the original story sailed back into view.
Today, Jeff Nathanson, screenwriter of Dead Men Tell No Tales, has already delivered a first draft that, according to Bruckheimer, truly shines in its third act: “It has an incredible ending. We just need to fine-tune the beginning and the middle.”
The dead will not rest until they get their revenge!@DisneyPirates Dead Men Tell No Tales, in theaters May 26th. #PiratesLife pic.twitter.com/9ZJ9HU25t5
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) April 30, 2017
For Bruckheimer, imagining Pirates of the Caribbean without Depp is like picturing the sea without waves. If the project sets sail, it’s still unclear whether it will be a soft reboot or a direct sequel to Dead Men Tell No Tales. What is certain is that Depp is already revving up in Hollywood with Day Drinker, a thriller in which he’ll once again share the screen with Penélope Cruz.
And so, the future of Jack Sparrow hangs on a pen. The one that can write the lines capable of convincing Depp to once again captain the most unpredictable ship in the Caribbean.