Johnny Depp is Open to Returning as Jack Sparrow in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 6, But Only for One Reason
Johnny Depp hasn't ruled out another round as Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but he's not interested in returning just for the sake of another sequel. If he's going to sail the high seas again, he wants to make sure the franchise gets a proper sendoff.
While promoting his upcoming holiday film Ebenezer, Depp spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the possibility of returning for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. He didn't confirm anything, but he made it clear that he's willing to work with longtime franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer again.
Depp explained: “If things are exactly where they need to be with regard to how they are going to top off the ‘Pirates’ franchise… the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note.
“I will go to work with [Jerry] Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything. Doesn’t matter… if it’s Jerry, i trust him. We have a deep friendship.”
That's good news for fans who have been hoping to see Depp return as Jack Sparrow. It sounds like he's more interested in giving the character and franchise a satisfying conclusion than simply jumping back aboard for another adventure.
Bruckheimer has also been interested in getting Depp back into the franchise. In summer 2025, he confirmed that the two had discussed another Pirates movie and suggested that the actor's involvement would depend on the screenplay.
“If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it. It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know… We are still working on a screenplay. We want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay. We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but we’re close.”
Depp played Jack Sparrow in five Pirates of the Caribbean films between 2003 and 2017, helping turn the Disney adventure series into a massive $4.5 billion franchise. Every installment earned more than $650 million worldwide, with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides both crossing the $1 billion mark.
Despite that success, getting a sixth movie off the ground has been a challenge. Disney was developing two different Pirates projects back in 2020, including a female-led reboot starring Margot Robbie and another film connected to the original franchise. Robbie later revealed in 2022 that Disney wasn't moving forward with her version.
Meanwhile, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who previously wrote Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, has been working on the screenplay for the next installment.
In 2024, Bruckheimer offered an encouraging update on Nathanson's progress, saying: “He’s cracked it. He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second and then we’ll get there. But he wrote a great, great third act.”
The producer also said that he would love to see Depp return, even if the next movie takes the franchise in a new direction.
“It’s a reboot, but if it was up to me, [Johnny] would be in it. I love him. He’s a good friend. He’s an amazing artist and he’s a unique look. He created Captain Jack. That was not on the page, that was him doing a little Pepé Le Pew and Keith Richards. That was his interpretation of Jack Sparrow.”
Depp's future with Disney became uncertain following his highly publicized legal battles involving his ex-wife Amber Heard. After losing a 2020 libel case against British newspaper The Sun, he was asked to leave the Fantastic Beasts franchise and was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
In 2022, Depp won the main claims in his U.S. defamation trial against Heard, although the jury also found that one of Depp's attorneys had defamed Heard.
The actor is now returning to major Hollywood studio productions with Paramount's Ebenezer and Lionsgate's upcoming 2028 thriller Day Drinker.
As for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, there's still no official confirmation that Depp will return or that Disney has finalized its plans for the movie. However, both Depp and Bruckheimer seem interested in making it happen, provided they have the right story.
Personally, It’d be fun to see Depp get one more shot at Jack Sparrow. He's such a big part of what made those movies entertaining, and it would be great to see the character get a proper farewell rather than simply disappearing from the franchise.
The real question is whether Disney can put together a story that's worth bringing Captain Jack back for.