Did Disney REALLY offer Johnny Depp $300m to return as Jack Sparrow? The TRUTH behind the rumor
A recently-surfaced rumor claimed that Johnny Depp has been offered a huge amount of money by The Walt Disney Studios to star as Jack Sparrow in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' yet again. Australian pop culture blog poptopic.com.au published an article with this claim earlier in June with the headline, "Johnny Depp USD $301 million Disney deal revealed?!”
The article was widely circulated on social media platforms, including on Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter. However, there is no confirmation on this and evidence that such a deal for any amount is in the works between Depp and Disney is yet to be found.
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The article reads, "Disney has allegedly offered Johnny Depp a USD $301 million contract deal for him to return as Jack Sparrow in another Pirates film and a Disney Plus series!" It adds, "Disney is desperate for Depp! According to an industry insider, the company is preparing a USD $301 million deal as a formal apology and a request for the beloved actor to return as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise."
Just days ago, jurors reached a verdict in the defamation claims brought by actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case after the two accused each other of domestic abuse. On June 1, a jury ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
After deliberating over three days, the jury has now ruled in a unanimous decision that Heard defamed Depp when she called herself a victim of domestic abuse. She has been ordered to pay $15 million in damages, including $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The jury also awarded Heard compensatory damages of $2 million because she was defamed when Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman called her abuse allegations a hoax.
Depp and Heard's legal battle was over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post, where she called herself a domestic violence survivor. Depp had claimed that he was booted from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise because Heard's op-ed clearly implicated that he was the abuser. The article, however, did not mention Depp by name. The actor sued for $50 million and Heard countersued for $100 million, claiming Depp ran a smear campaign for years in an attempt to silence her and destroy her acting career.
Depp was also removed from 'Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore' by Warner Bros. In fact, he was removed from the franchise as a whole after being accused of being abusive toward Amber Heard during their marriage from 2017 to 2020. Warners Bros. remained silent on the issue, but actor Dan Fogler earlier took to social media to open up about the controversy. "What's best for Johnny and what’s best for the film may not be equal. The right decision may not be what’s fair. It’s not simple. I love Johnny and want him to be the best he can be. I selfishly want him at his best if I ever get to work with him again," he had said.
Depp was questioned in court during the trial about returning to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise for future projects. Heard's lawyer, J. Benjamin Rottenborn asked, “And the fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million dollars and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film, correct?” Depp answered, "That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”
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Johnny Depp says that not even for 300 million will he work with Disney again pic.twitter.com/Bu45s3Lt3C
Later, in a prerecorded deposition played for the courtroom, Heard's attorney Elaine Bredehoft asked Tina Newman with Walt Disney Studios, “Is Disney aware that Mr. Depp has testified under oath that he would not take another ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise role for $300 million and a million alpacas?” "No," Newman answered.
“Would Disney entertain paying Mr. Depp more than $300 million and provide him with more than a million alpacas to be able to obtain his services for any future ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ role?” Bredehoft went on to ask, to which Newman said, "No" again.