Jerry Bruckheimer says talks are underway with Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, while a screenplay for the next film is still being written. He said he hopes the project can finally come together, putting the franchise’s most familiar face back in the conversation just as the sequel moves from idea to actual development.
The reason the update lands now is simple: fans have spent years asking whether Johnny Depp would return as Captain Jack Sparrow, and Bruckheimer’s comments at D23 give that question fresh momentum. The producer said, “we’re talking with Johnny [Depp], we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done,” which is the clearest sign yet that the project is active rather than parked.
That matters because Pirates of the Caribbean is not a small property that can drift for long without notice. Through five movies, the franchise has grossed $4.5 billion worldwide, a total that works out to an average of $900 million a film. The last entry, 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, was the lowest-grossing installment, but it still brought in $795.9 million globally, showing how much room the series has had even at its softest point.
At the same time, the new film is being described as an evolution of the franchise, and that is where the road gets less straight. The next chapter is said to focus on Margot Robbie’s protagonist, with Sparrow in a side role, which suggests the studio is trying to widen the story without fully letting go of the character who made the series a global draw. That split explains why Depp’s talks matter, but also why no return has been locked in.
Bruckheimer has been steady about wanting the series to stay put, saying, “Look, we want to keep ’em here,” and warning that the business has been pulled into a political circle that he считает is a shame. For now, the news is not that Johnny Depp is back. It is that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 has a script in motion, a star in discussion and a direction that still has to be settled before anyone can call it a return.
