Johnny Depp hasn’t had much luck lately. Aside from being involved in a series of allegations that claimed he domestically abused his ex-wife Amber Heard, the allegations have also cost him much of his reputation. As a result, he’s not only been removed from Fantastic Beasts 3 by Warner Bros – but it seems Disney has also rejected Johnny Depp from returning to any future Pirates of the Caribbean films.
This is a pretty major development, as Johnny Depp has been one of the main focuses for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise for decades now. Unfortunately, it looks like he’s just too controversial of a topic for the studio to keep him around in future installments. Rather, Disney intends to continue the series in a new direction with actress Margot Robbie in the lead.
Here’s what the new report released by THR revealed about Disney rejecting Johnny Depp from the next Pirates of the Caribbean project:
“Disney had already backed away from a Pirates future with Depp well before the U.K. trial, even if it never formally severed ties. Bruckheimer, who has been one of Depp’s biggest champions and once suggested the finger injury happened because “he got it caught in a car door,” was hoping to at least bring the Captain Jack Sparrow character back briefly in the next outing — said to be a female-centric incarnation fronted by Margot Robbie. Disney balked.”
It’s unclear how Johnny Depp will respond to all of this, and whether or not he’ll ever manage to redeem his career. It’s worth noting that the fan support that Depp has received has been overwhelming. A petition for the actor to return to the franchise has gained over 350,000 signatures at the time of this writing.
In any case, Disney seems to be eager to keep the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise moving forward without him. And with Margot Robbie in the lead, it’ll be interesting to see how the franchise develops. What’s more, Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard is also still busy working – most notably with plenty of appearances in Warner Bros’ DC franchise Aquaman on the way – despite plenty of backlash against WB for not removing her.