Johnny Depp will be returning to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and is in talks with Disney about a $300 million deal, according to reports.
Depp appeared as Captain Jack Sparrow in five "Pirates of the Caribbean" films over the past 15 years but was dropped from the lead role after his ex-wife, Amber Heard, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post claiming to be the survivor of domestic abuse. Now Disney wants Depp to reprise his role after winning his defamation trial against Heard and the media house is working on a the lucrative deal to coax him back, a source told Poptopic.
"Disney are very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp. 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 Pirates film or two," the source said. "I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter, but I’m unsure how it was received.
"But 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 insider claimed that the $300 million deal includes a "sizable donation" to a charity of Depp's choice. The deal is for Depp to reprise his role as Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean 6" as well as a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl, the source added.
Depp previously told the jury that he would not work with Disney again after he was dropped from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, saying that he felt as if he was "guilty until proven innocent" with Disney executives, according to the Daily Mail.
His legal team claim Depp lost out on $22 million after Heard published her Washington Post op-ed. A jury found in Depp's favor three of his claims relating to statements made by Heard and it was determined that Depp should receive $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The judge reduced the punitive damages award to $350,000 under a state cap.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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