Is Johnny Depp set to return to 'Pirates of the Caribbean'? '$300 million and a million alpacas' statement hints at the answer
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The last few years have been tumultuous for Johnny Depp, who seems to have hit a rough patch both personally and professionally. But 2022 brought relief for the star after a Virginia court gave a judgment in his favor after his former wife accused him of domestic violence via an op-ed.
In a statement after the verdict, the father of two said, “False, very serious, and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me.”
‘Seismic impact on my life and my career’
“It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” he added.
The 59-year-old actor also received a seven-minute standing ovation during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival as his movie ‘Jeanne du Barry’ premiered. The historical drama is Depp’s first after he was blacklisted by Hollywood following Heard’s allegations. It is now said that the Golden Globe winner could make a return to the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series in his legendary role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey told The New York Times, as per the Daily Mail, “We think we have a really good, exciting story that honors the films that have come before but also has something new to say.” On Depp’s probable casting, Bailey just added that the company is “noncommittal at this point.”
How did Disney respond to Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial?
Though Disney did not directly issue any statement about or during the trial, reports said that the entertainment company pulled Depp out of the sixth ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie in 2018. It reportedly happened after Heard’s piece for The Washington Post, titled ‘I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change’, was published the same year.
The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ star slammed Disney during last year’s trial. He reportedly said, “Having added much of myself, much of my own rewriting, the dialogue, the scenes, the jokes, I didn't quite understand how after that long relationship and quite a successful relationship with Disney that... suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent.”
Also, during the court battle, when Heard’s lawyer Ben Rottenborn questioned Depp, “The fact is, Mr Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million 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?” He asserted, “That is true, Mr Rottenborn.”