Will Pirates of the Caribbean Oust Johnny Depp? Fans Threaten to Boycott Sequel
Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies want Captain Jack Sparrow back as lead and they believe that Johnny Depp is the only acceptable actor for the role.
After rumors that Johnny is being replaced with another lead surfaced, fans of the franchise began threatening to boycott its next installment. There were speculations that Disney is considering The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri as the next frontman for the movie although some stated that there’s no truth to the claim.
It’s been seven years since the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out and there have been talks of a sixth installment. But many think that a Depp-less Pirates doesn’t qualify as a continuation of the series.
The ruckus started from a Twitter account named “Unlimited L’s” who posted last February 9, “Disney is reportedly considering Ayo Edebiri for the leading role in ‘Pirates 6,’ a film that would feature a younger cast of pirates in search of hidden treasure.”
The post continued, “The character she is being considered for is named Anne and it’s possible this character could be based on real-life pirate, Anne Bonny, who was an Irishwoman.”
Anne Bonny was an 18th century pirate and one of the few female pirates in history.
Upon learning that Johnny might not play the lead role, one fan wrote on X, “If it ain’t Depp, I ain’t watching.”
Other fans of the Disney franchise reacted negatively to Unlimited L’s post, with one commenting, “Nobody will watch this without Depp. When are they going to learn?”
Another wrote, “Disney cannot replace Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp created the roll!”
However, it appears that many fans simply misunderstood the gossip. Claiming to be the source of the noise, Daniel Richtman of RPK News stated that replacing Johnny was never an option and that Ayo’s involvement would be more of a spin-off for the franchise.
However, the prospect of having a sixth pirate movie with Johnny reprising his role is bleak after the fallout between the actor and Disney. Recall that Disney axed Johnny in 2018 shortly after allegations that he abused Amber Heard emerged.
During the famous and highly publicized 2022 defamation trial against Johnny by his ex-wife, the actor stated in court that he would never work for Disney again, even if they offered him $300 million and a million alpacas.
Disney was considering one suggestion where Margot Robbie would play the lead but even the Barbie actress left conflicting comments about the matter. There were also contradictions from Jerry Bruckheimer who is the producer of the movie series. Margot said that the idea was dead, but Jerry said that the probability was still very much alive.
Despite the confusion, it seems that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is going to happen. According to Jerry, the production already has a “very good script” and is under development. He added that there will be a cast younger than Johnny.
When asked if Johnny will return for the 6th installment, the producer replied cryptically, saying, “We’ll see. I’d love it. I would love to have him in the movie; that’s all I can tell you.”
