Johnny Depp 'to return' to Pirates of the Caribbean after '$300 million Disney deal'

Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have been demanding the return of Johnny Depp for years. The star’s removal from the series has often been a point of debate, as Depp’s fans claimed Amber Heard‘s claims of him being a “wife-beater” were untrue.

Well, Depp fans may have finally got their wish as a new report claims the star has been offered a brand new deal from Disney who has approached the actor with a few “gifts”.  

A source has said Disney is “very interested in patching up its relationship with Johnny Depp”. They went on: “They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another pirate film or two.”

Depp was even sent a peace offering gift from the House of Mouse, the insider added. And it came complete with a letter that could have been a formal offer, an apology, or something in between.

“I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter,” the source said. “But I’m unsure how it was received.”

Express.co.uk has reached out to Disney for comment on this story.

This information follows further news that Disney is currently writing a new Pirates film focused solely on Jack Sparrow. And that’s not all.

The source added that another project is in the works for Disney Plus. They said: “The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl.”

They added: “What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character.”

The source said that Disney is working on a “$301 million deal” to coax Depp back soon. And they are also reportedly adding a “sizeable donation” to a charity of Depp’s choice as a gesture of goodwill.

READ MORE: Paul McCartney splits Glastonbury fans with Johnny Depp video

The supposed “offer” of $301 million exceeds this number, meaning – if true – it would be Disney’s way of extending an olive branch, so to speak.

Fans of the Hollywood actor will no doubt be elated if the reports are correct. They have spent years campaigning for Disney to bring Depp back as Captain Jack.

They even started an online petition calling to reinstate the star. The petition, “We want JOHNNY DEPP back as CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW”, is exceptionally popular, and has almost hit 1 million signatures.

At the moment it has more than 875,000 signatures from fans who are hoping to see the star wield his cutlass once more. Despite this news, the information does follow confirmation that a new spin-off Pirates of the Caribbean movie is on its way – with a new protagonist.

Earlier this year it was confirmed that Margot Robbie will be heading up a new Pirates film series.

She herself said it would be full of “girl power” and is being written by Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson.

Pirates boss Jerry Bruckheimer also chimed in to reveal: “Yes. We’re talking to Margot Robbie. We are developing two Pirates scripts—one with her, one without.”

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is available to stream now on Disney Plus.

SOURCE / SOURCE

SOURCE / SOURCE