Johnny Depp leaves door open for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ return: 'Only involvement I..’
It has been nearly a decade since Captain Jack Sparrow last sailed onto movie screens, but talk of his return hasn’t gone away. Johnny Depp has now weighed in on another trip into the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ world. His comments leave room for a reunion with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who is working on the next ‘Pirates’ film. For fans waiting to see whether Jack will sail again, their friendship is part of the conversation.
“I’ll go to work with Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything,” Depp said in an Entertainment Tonight interview. “Doesn’t matter… if it’s Jerry, I trust him. We have a deep friendship.” The actor was responding to Bruckheimer’s desire to reunite with him for another ‘Pirates’ movie. His answer, however, extended to working with the producer on any project.
Depp also explained what would draw him back to the franchise itself. “If things are exactly where they need to be with regard to how they are going to top off the Pirates thing,” Depp said, “the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note.” That makes the prospect of a return conditional. He did not announce a deal or outline a story for Jack. His focus was on giving the franchise a send-off.
Bruckheimer has already said that discussions with Depp are happening. At D23 in August, he told Deadline, “We’re talking with Johnny [Depp], we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done.” That update placed the film at the writing stage. It also established that Depp was part of the conversation before his latest comments. Neither statement amounts to an announcement that he will star in the sixth installment.
The screenplay has been central to Bruckheimer’s previous answers, too. Speaking to EW in 2025, he said, “If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it.” He added, “It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know.” In 2024, Bruckheimer described the developing film as a reboot but said he would like Depp to be involved. Those updates explain why the producer’s interest and the actor’s willingness still leave questions about what the next movie will become.
Depp first played Jack in 2003’s ‘The Curse of the Black Pearl’. He returned for ‘Dead Man’s Chest’, ‘At World’s End’ and ‘On Stranger Tides’. His most recent appearance as Jack on the big screen came in 2017’s ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’. For now, that remains Jack’s last screen voyage, with Depp open to discussing another if the circumstances are right.
