PIRATES of The CARIBBEAN 4 without Johnny Depp???
Comments(9)
- By abefroman
A little over a week ago, at Disney’s first annual D23 Fan Expo, Johnny Depp greeted fans in full costume as Captain Jack Sparrow, to announce the planned Summer 2011 release of the fourth installment in the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise, titled On Stranger Tides.
But with the unexpected departure of Dick Cook, the longtime head of Walt Disney Studios, on Friday, Depp’s future involvement in the highly-successful franchise is in serious jeopardy. In a phone interview from London wit the LA Times, Depp said of Cook leaving Disney:
[I am] shocked and very sad. [Dick Cook is] the sweetest man on the planet and such a gent. It seems like the whole town is shocked.
Cook called Depp to break the news to him:
He is the utmost gentleman, so he made the call himself. He said, ‘I’d like you to hear it from me before you hear it from someone else or read it.’ He said, ‘today was my last day.’ He didn’t give me a reason.
I didn’t see this coming. There was no reason to see this coming.
Depp explained it was because of Cook that he ended up working with Disney in the first place. Cook had been trying nab Depp for years with various movie and animated projects. Depp recalled the day, in Cook’s office, that the studio chief threw out an idea that he immediately pounced on:
He said, ‘We’re thinking about doing this Pirates of the Caribbean movie,’ I said I was in. This was before there was a script or anything.
Depp said the reason for his blind commitment to the movie was because he trusted Cook:
He’s instantly trustworthy. And you generally don’t meet people at the studios you trust. He’s a rare beast.
Depp said Cook had the same trust and admiration for him, defending his then controversial choices for the Jack Sparrow character– filling his mouth with gold fillings, with “things tied into my hair”, basing the look and mannerisms on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards– when filming for the first Pirates of The Caribbean began:
When things went a little sideways on the first ‘Pirates’ movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. He trusted me.
While some of the Disney executives…
…opposed to my body language. [Cook] was completely supportive of me.
Depp said while he has a potential deal in place to reprise his role in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and other potential sequels, which depends on how good the script is, his passion for the project at the moment has been severely dampened by the news that Cook will no longer be around.
There’s a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment. It was all born in that office.
Even with the mixed reviews of the last two sequels, fan response for more Pirates movies has been predominantly positive. His waning excitement for a fourth movie is understandable. Sam Raimi’s Spiderman cast have a similar outlook towards continuing a project without their leader, as well as Nolan’s Batman cast. You see this all the time in sports as well.
Depp said he is confident that he and Cook will one day work together again.
He will be somewhere and I will always look forward to working with him. I consider Dick a friend inside an insane system. He’s someone I understand and I think he understands me.
So what do you think of Johnny Depp potentially leaving the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise?
Depp sounds like a genuine guy in these quotes. How often to you see A-list celebs go to bat for an executive? It also speaks to Cook's quality too. Even if Depp decides to do another Pirates movie, I don't think he diminishes the friendship he has with Cook. Great article!
Although I agree with Adam, Pirates will not carry the same passion for certain fans if Johnny Depp isn't in it. You can replace any of the characters — but you can't replace Depp's Sparrow…
Depp is holding all the cards in this and he knows it. Without him there will be no Pirates of the Caribbean, period. I can understand his reluctance after reading this and discovering how much he likes Cook. I think the executives will bend over backwards to make him (Depp) happy, even to the point of doing what it takes to bring Cook back. Even if Cook does not come back, I think Depp will be the one in control of the movie. He is Sparrow and there can't be another one. Disney knows this and will bend to him like grass in the breeze.
I wouldn't blame him for wanting out even if Cook were still involved, it's my feeling that a 4th and possibly more sequels will only hurt the franchise in the long run. But I understand that there is enough support out there to make it fiscally irresponsible to not pursue more "easy money". Needless to say, I won't be seeing it if Depp isn't behind it. His character makes the movie.
It wouldn't be Pirate's without Johnny… I doubt I'd see it
I'm not big on Pirates, but Depp should stay with it. If he thinks the movie will be good, that's most important. Gotta stick it out for the fans. That's what I would do.
same. Its his franchise – he makes it a success
I really hope this has nothing to do with the Marvel/Disney hook up. It seems there is some major politics happening behind closed doors…
really…cmon no johnny depp…….?