Johnny Depp in line for $301M payday to return as Captain Jack in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’?

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Johnny Depp could be getting ready to walk the plank again as Captain Jack Sparrow.

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According to a new report, rumours are swirling that Disney is working with the actor on a “$301 million deal” for a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film and spinoff series. If true, it would be a welcome return to the role that turned Depp, 59, into a global superstar nearly two decades ago following 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

“Disney is very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp,” a source told PopTopic. “They are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character.”

The three-time Oscar nominee was dropped from the franchise in 2018 after his ex Amber Heard wrote an op-ed suggesting she was a victim of domestic abuse.

Depp played the swashbuckling hero in five films inspired by the popular Disney theme park attraction.

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“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 added. “The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spinoff Disney+ series about the early life of the Captain of the Black Pearl.”

During his six-week long defamation trial, Depp claimed that Heard’s article ruined his reputation and led to a slew of cancelled projects, one of which being a sixth Pirates movie that would have seen the actor pocketing $22.5 million to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow.

“After the op-ed, it was impossible to get him a studio film,” Depp’s talent manager Jack Whigham said last month.

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Depp’s agent said the actor had a verbal deal in place for Pirates 6, but that in 2019 producers opted to go in a “different direction.” It was later announced that actress Margot Robbie would lead an all-female reboot written by Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson.

During his testimony, Depp said that he was open to making more Pirates movies and that he wanted to give the character a “proper goodbye.” But he also said he wouldn’t return for “$300 million and a million alpacas” after feeling that the studio had betrayed him.

The news comes after a former Disney exec told PEOPLE Depp could return. “There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture,” the source said.

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Depp sued Heard, 36, for $50 million, accusing her of defaming him with a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

A Virginia jury ruled in Depp’s favour, awarding him $15 million after they unanimously agreed that Heard defamed him and ruined his career when she published the article. With the amount capped at $10.35 million, the jury also found Depp guilty of defaming her on one count through his former lawyer Adam Waldman. Heard was awarded $2 million.

In an interview after the verdict, Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said her client “absolutely” cannot pay the judgement levied against her and will appeal.

During a much-publicized chat with Savannah Guthrie earlier this month, Heard said she stood by her allegations that Depp abused her during their five-year relationship.

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“To my dying day, I’ll stand by every word of my testimony,” she said. “I made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve always told the truth.”

On Friday, trial judge Penney Azcarate made the jury’s award official with Heard ordered to pay $10.35 million.

Heard has said she intends to appeal the ruling.

But during Friday’s hearing, Azcarate said that if Heard appeals, she must post a bond for the full amount of the $10.35 million award that is subject to 6% interest per year.

In a statement to the Sun, a rep for Heard referenced the January 6 Committee hearings as they hinted at another looming legal battle. “As stated in yesterday’s congressional hearings, you don’t ask for a pardon if you are innocent,” they wrote in an email. “And, you don’t decline to appeal if you know you are right.”

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