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Disney Developing Stand-Alone Jack Sparrow Movie without Johnny Depp

When we think of Pirates of the Caribbean, there is one character that almost always comes to mind for anyone who has watched the films.

Johnny Depp was brought in on Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl to play Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp created his own rendition of the character that was a mix of a ladies man, much like Pepe Le Pew, as well as a drunken charismatic mess. Disney did not initially have this version of Sparrow in mind when it was written. In fact, the screenwriters wrote the role with Hugh Jackman in mind, hence Captain Jack. Other actors like Robert De Niro had to turn down the role until it ultimately trickled down to Johnny Depp. While Depp was acting, Disney even questioned his choices, wondering if he was taking the character too far.

Of course, Disney quickly learnt to trust in Depp’s process after the movie brought in tons of financial revenue at the box office. Jack Sparrow would continue to helm the Pirates of the Caribbean films for five movies and would appear in multiple renditions of the attraction in the Disney Parks worldwide. Fans of the franchise fell in love with Depp, which is why Depp getting the boot from the role created chaos.

After Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard alleged that she was domestically abused by Johnny, the media was sent into a frenzy. Soon, Heard’s claims were all that anyone could talk about, and after, Depp would lose a court case to U.K. tabloid The Sun, who he accused of defamation after siding with Heard, which would set his career into a downward spiral. Disney separated ways with Depp, which left all of his fans, and there are millions, petitioning against the decision and threatening to boycott the franchise.

The most recent updates on future Pirates of the Caribbean films noted that Margot Robbie would helm her ship in a spinoff that would be female-led and set in the same world, and there were also rumblings of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 in the works, but of course, without Depp’s Sparrow.

Now, it has been reported that Disney has a stand-alone Pirates of the Caribbean film in the works that is solely about Jack Sparrow; however, it would not include Depp. The publication noted:

Inside sources have shared that Disney is now developing a Jack Sparrow solo project. This project will not include Johnny Depp.

This is a bold move by Disney. Audiences have grown fond of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. We were able to confirm with our source that the new project will be a solo one, so Jack Sparrow will be at the center of this story. It is also clear that Depp is not involved. We were unable to confirm what the story will be about.

Before we dive into this, please note this is not confirmed, and at the moment, a rumor about the potential project. A move like this would be a very interesting one that could potentially heavily backfire for Disney if attempted. As we mentioned, the love for Depp’s Jack Sparrow is overwhelming, and fans do not ever want to see him replaced. To have another actor play Depp’s rendition of the character in a film centered on Jack Sparrow would very likely receive a lot of negative attention from fans of Depp.

There are, however, many prequel books regarding Jack Sparrow’s childhood, which may be a workaround for Disney to continue carrying out the Jack Sparrow story without recasting Depp. If the story focused on Sparrow as a child, it would be impossible to cast Depp even if Disney wanted to, due to the age difference of the character. All of this being said, that idea is purely speculative on my end, and there is no official confirmation that the film is in development.

There is potential to see Depp return to the role, perhaps, if he is vindicated in his trial next year. In January, Depp and Heard will go to court and settle their $150 million lawsuit. If Depp is ruled as not guilty, then he will have legal grounds to state that he did not do what Heard had claimed. Of course, this does not mean that Disney would bring back Depp or that he would even want to return if they would, but it surely would help to have it legally declared that he is innocent.

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