'Pirates of the Caribbean 6': Johnny Depp to return as Captain Jack Sparrow with new female lead?
Hollywood star Johnny Depp might be in the middle of a heated legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, but that's not going to stop the heartthrob from taking over the silverscreen or even his hamper his professional prospects. Depp might just be reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the sixth installement of the mammoth 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' franchise.
Depp had first portrayed the iconic role back in 2001 in Disney's 'Pirates Of The Carribean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl', the first film of the brand. According to We Got This Covered, a Disney executive has been lobbying for the actor's return. These revelations were made in the ongoing court case between Depp and Heard. Ironically, in 2016, it was rumoured that Disney wanted to 'distance' themselves from Depp, after the allegations made by Amber Heard went public.
The script of the new film is being written by Pirates writer Ted Elliott along with Chernobyl writer Craig Maizin. However, not much is known about the plot, apart from the desire to cast a female star as the lead.
Earlier, We Got This Covered had reported that Captain Jack Sparrow would be replaced by a female pirate named Redd, "a revamped character in the popular Disneyland attraction who’s also a meet-in-greet park character.”
According to fan choices, popular names like Daisy Ridley and Karen Gillan have been making the rounds, however no official confirmation has been made by the studio so far. Needless to say, both the actresses make for an excellent cast in a franchise which is desperately seeking a fresh start. If the makers are interested to continue to draw audiences for the new sequel, a fresh face remains imperative for the same.
The previous film 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' was the lowest grossing film in the franchise.
Photos of Heard's face, covered in bruises, allegedly inflicted by Depp by throwing his phone at her, began to do the rounds on the internet in 2016. Depp denied the accusations, but Heard received a 5 million dollar payout from the actor upon signing a non-disclosure agreement, as part of the couple's divorce settlement.
"Since their divorce, Mr Depp has continued to publicly harass Ms. Heard and attempted to gaslight the world by denying his abuse," Eric George, Heard's lawyer, said in a statement. "It is long past time for Mr Depp's despicable conduct to end. Today, we presented to the court irrefutable evidence of Mr Depp's abuse. It is regrettable that it will take a judge to finally end the persistent harassment of Ms Heard by Mr Depp, but Ms Heard will take whatever action is necessary to vindicate the truth."