Based on the overwhelming outpouring of support from Johnny Depp’s fans after he was unceremoniously dumped from Fantastic Beasts 3 due to coming out on the losing end of his libel trial against a British tabloid, you’d think that whatever he shows up in next is guaranteed to be a major box office success seeing as hundreds of thousands of people have lent their signatures to petitions to have him reinstated as both Grindelwald and Pirates of the Caribbean‘s Jack Sparrow.
While low budget biographical drama Minamata seems unlikely to ascend to blockbuster status despite the fact that it marks the only upcoming movie on Depp’s schedule, takings for Fantastic Beasts 3 and Aquaman 2 could realistically face a hit if fans stick to their guns and boycott both Warner Bros. sequels when they arrive on the big screen in 2022. Of course, a lot could change between now and then given that the saga between Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard shows no signs of ending, but at the moment, no one can predict how things will ultimately shake out.
Of course, with all of the ire being pointed at Warner Bros., Disney may view this as the ideal opportunity to quietly move forward on their two Pirates of the Caribbean movies in the hopes that Depp’s fans won’t notice. Although, that seems unlikely now given that close to 300,000 people have supported the campaign to bring the 57 year-old back as Captain Jack, with the petition to have him reinstated currently sitting at roughly 295,000 signatures.
The sixth installment in the main saga and the spinoff set to be produced and headlined by Margot Robbie are both very early on in the development process, but looking at the way Depp’s army of loyal fans have threatened to boycott and reject anything that they view as a slight against their hero, the Pirates of the Caribbean series could be the next former vehicle of his to face calls for a boycott.