The Pirates of the Caribbean series is one of the most successful movie franchises ever made, with five installments having been released over the past 20 years, accumulating a whopping total worldwide gross of over $4.5 billion and even earning 11 Academy Award nominations (and one win for Best Visual Effects). The one thing all five films have in common? Johnny Depp in the lead as the eccentric and charismatic Captain Jack Sparrow.
To be fair, the Pirates movies have always been ensemble pieces, with the protagonists of the first three arguably being Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s star-crossed swashbuckling lovers, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Not to mention that Geoffrey Rush’s Hector Barbossa stole the show anytime he was on screen. However, there’s no doubt Depp is the standout performer in all five films — a fact that’s a testament to his undoubted talent and on-screen magnetism.
Talk of new movies in the franchise (multiple, in fact) has been circulating for some time, with reboots rumored and a planned spin-off starring Margot Robbie failing to get off the ground. However, it feels like the franchise’s appeal is waning, and the latest rumor suggesting Depp will not be returning to reprise his role as Sparrow isn’t helping matters. When the latest claim about Depp’s potential absence from the reboot (via World of Reel) went viral on X, fans were quick to respond en masse.
How did fans react to Johnny Depp potentially being absent from the reboot?
Suffice it to say that the almost universal opinion of the responding film fans of X was that it wouldn’t be the same without Johnny Depp, with one user going so far as to say, “Should probably just cancel it now.”
Although Depp has appeared in countless notable projects throughout his career — 21 Jump, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Donnie Brasco, the Fantastic Beasts movies, approximately 47 Tim Burton films et cetera, et cetera — he’s become synonymous with Jack Sparrow and Pirates of the Caribbean, just as the franchise has become synonymous with Depp. That’s why people are doubting whether a reboot could be successful without him.
“Johnny or nothing,” was one Disney dissenter’s rallying cry.
No Johnny, no Pirates?
Depp has experienced his fair share of controversies and personal issues over the years — not least his highly publicized legal row with ex-wife Amber Heard, which resulted in Depp filing a defamation complaint against Heard — but he’s attempting a Hollywood comeback.
If the response to the idea that he won’t be in the Pirates of the Caribbean reboot is anything to go by, there’s still a lot of love for the actor, and he’ll have much more to give in the film industry in the future. Maybe his comeback can be a roaring success. We’ll know soon enough, as he’s directing the upcoming biographical drama Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness, and set to star opposite Pirates of the Caribbean co-star Penélope Cruz in the Lionsgate action thriller Day Drinker.