Jerry Bruckheimer in Talks to Bring Johnny Depp Back to Pirates Franchise: “I Think He Would Do It”

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is attempting to call a parley between Disney and Johnny Depp to bring the beleaguered star back to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

“If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it,” Bruckheimer told EW . “It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know.”

Bruckheimer has remained friends with Depp throughout the actor’s contentious legal battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, a saga that included accusations of abuse and led to Disney dropping Depp from the Pirates brand. In 2022, a Virginia jury found Heard liable for defamation (they later settled), seemingly opening the door for Depp’s Hollywood comeback.

During the trial, Depp testified that he would never return to Pirates of the Caribbean. “There was a deep and distinct sense of feeling betrayed by the people that I’ve worked hard for,” he said. “People that I delivered a character to that they initially despised, but I stuck to my guns with the character, and it seemed to work.”

Now, according to Bruckheimer, Depp has changed his mind, script pending. “We are still working on a screenplay,” he said. “We want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay. We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but we’re close.”

However, Bruckheimer offered no comment on Disney’s enthusiasm for such a reunion. The House of Mouse will have the final say — after all, the whole movie franchise is based on one of their amusement park rides.

Since 2022, Depp has worked almost entirely outside of Hollywood. Last month, he joined Alice Cooper onstage for a cover of “Paranoid” in tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.