Disney is reportedly offering Johnny Depp a deal worth $301 million to reprise his Captain Jack role in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise and for a new Disney Plus Jack Sparrow prequel series,
Depp could return to Pirates of the Caribbean 6 in $301 million contract
Following a $10 million judgment after successfully winning his defamation trial against Amber Heard against abuse allegations, Disney has reportedly offered Johnny Depp a deal worth $301 million to reprise his famous role.
The fallout has been extreme following an op-ed written in the Washington Post in 2018 by Depp’s ex-wife, 36-year-old Amber Heard, which accused him of domestic abuse. Disney promptly dropped him from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after he had played swashbuckling buccaneer Captain Jack in five movies over the last 15 years, the New York Post reported.
At the time, the canceling of Johnny Depp by Disney following the allegations reportedly cost the Edward Scissorhands star to lose a payday worth $22.5 million, according to his legal team. Depp felt he was “guilty until proven innocent” in the eyes of Disney executives, the Daily Mail reported.
But now, reports say Disney is eager to strike a deal with Depp to have him return to his iconic role as Jack Sparrow.
Insider leaks terms of the deal
The report comes from Australian entertainment site Poptopic, which published the claim made by an insider who was familiar with the deal.
“Disney is very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp,” the source told Poptopic.
“They [Disney] 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,” the source claimed, adding that Disney offered Depp a “$300 million deal after winning his defamation trial against Amber Heard.”
“I absolutely believe post-verdict that ‘Pirates’ is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board,” a source told People earlier this month. “There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture.”
Disney also wants Depp for Disney Plus series
In addition to Depp returning for a potential Pirates of the Caribbean 6 film, the Disney deal also includes Johnny appearing in a spin-off series on Disney Plus based on the early life of the captain of The Black Pearl.
“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.
