Say what you want about how the Pirates of the Caribbean films were no longer as good once Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow took all the spotlight, but fans aren't quite ready to see the next installment in the fantasy film series set sail without the Fantastic Beasts actor.
According to two petitions on Change.org with over half-a-million signatures each, fans would love to see Depp come back as Sparrow.
The first petition, We want JOHNNY DEPP back as CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW, is four years old and is gaining traction again with over 800-thousand signatures. The petition claims that Disney should rehire the 58-year-old actor because Pirates of the Caribbean "will sink" and "never be able to reach that horizon" without him. Meanwhile, the other petition, Justice for Johnny Depp, is "only" two years old and has amassed 600,000 signatures in that span.
Both petitions began life following Depp's $50 million defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp affirms that Heard's co-ed for The Washing Post, which alleges that she suffered domestic abuse at the hands of Depp, had a negative impact on his career. Depp also claims that Heard was the abuser, which Heard refuted with her own $100 million defamation suit.
The still-ongoing defamation trial began in April and is set to conclude on May 27.
Depp revealed during the trial that he wanted to come back as Jack Sparrow if only so that Disney could give the character a "proper goodbye". However, because Disney fired Depp, the actor is no longer open to any offer, saying that "not even $300 million and a million alpacas" is enough to make him come back. In addition to losing his role for a potential sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, Warner Bros. Discovery also replaced Depp with Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
We understand if Depp refused to entertain any offers from Disney, but these things aren't set in stone. For example, Scarlet Johansson is now open to working with Disney and Marvel Studios once again after the two companies agreed to settle out of court following a lawsuit filed by the Black Widow actress for Disney's simultaneous release of Johansson's first solo MCU film on both Disney+ and in theaters.
Unfortunately, it appears that Disney isn't in any hurry to bring Depp back. The House of Mouse is now working on a sequel to Jungle Cruise, which, like Pirates of the Caribbean, is based on a Disneyland attraction.
