Unless you’ve spent the last 24 hours hiding under a rock (which is completely understandable given the onslaught of coverage that’s been dominating the discourse for weeks), then you’ll be fully aware that Johnny Depp emerged largely victorious from his legal battle opposite Amber Heard. The actor may have already claimed that he’d turn down $300 million to star in another Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but fans don’t care in the slightest.
As has been the case since the star was unceremoniously dumped from the brand he helped turn into a global phenomenon via an iconic stint as Captain Jack Sparrow, two brand new swashbuckling blockbusters remain in development at Disney. One of them is said to be a direct continuation to Dead Men Tell no Tales, while the other will be headlined by Margot Robbie, but Pirates supporters don’t seem all that interested in either.
Even though he ruled himself out of the running in the most public of forums, yesterday’s verdict has nonetheless seen the hopes for a Depp-led Pirates of the Caribbean sequel reignited in an instant.
At this stage, Disney would possibly be better off simply abandoning ship and letting Pirates of the Caribbean sail off into the sunset for good. Reviews have grown progressively worse with each passing sequel, and there’s clearly a huge volume of staunch fans who have zero interest in the property without Depp, and you can be damn sure they’ll make themselves heard when either one of the new projects emerges from the wilderness of development hell.