Highlights
- Johnny Depp is in talks to reprise Captain Jack Sparrow in the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film
- Producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed discussions are taking place as work continues on the screenplay
- The new film is reportedly expected to centre on Margot Robbie’s character, potentially moving Sparrow into a supporting role
- The franchise has earned more than $4.5 billion worldwide across its five films
The biggest surprise about Johnny Depp’s possible return to Pirates of the Caribbean may not be that Jack Sparrow is coming back. It is that he may no longer be the pirate at the centre of the story.
After years of uncertainty over the sixth film, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that discussions are under way with Depp. Speaking to Deadline at D23, Bruckheimer said, “We’re talking with Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done.”
That is a significant development for a character who has been at the heart of all five previous films. But according to Deadline, the sixth instalment is expected to focus on a protagonist played by Margot Robbie, with Depp’s Sparrow returning as a side character.
Jack Sparrow may be back but the franchise is looking elsewhere
Depp first played Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, turning the eccentric pirate into one of the most recognisable characters in modern blockbuster cinema.
He returned for Dead Man’s Chest in 2006, At World’s End in 2007, On Stranger Tides in 2011 and Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. Across those films, Sparrow evolved from a scene-stealing pirate into the defining face of the franchise.
That makes the reported direction for Pirates 6 particularly notable. Rather than simply bringing Depp back and rebuilding the series around Sparrow, Disney appears to be considering a version that uses the character while creating room for someone new to take the story forward.
Margot Robbie has been attached to a Pirates project for years. Her previously announced female-led spin-off was developed separately from the franchise's other planned film, although the project's status has changed several times. Bruckheimer has previously discussed multiple versions of the next Pirates film, including one involving Robbie.
The latest reporting suggests that the Robbie-led direction could now be central to the sixth film, rather than simply existing alongside a Depp-led continuation.
Why Disney may be ready to move beyond Sparrow
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has little reason to disappear. The five films have collectively generated more than $4.5 billion worldwide, with both Dead Man’s Chest and On Stranger Tides crossing the $1 billion mark.
But the last film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, earned about $795 million worldwide, a sizeable figure but a clear drop from the billion-dollar heights reached by the previous two instalments.
The long gap since 2017 also gives Disney an opportunity to reshape the franchise rather than simply reproduce its earlier formula.
That could explain why Depp's potential return and Robbie's reported central role are not necessarily contradictory. Jack Sparrow can provide the nostalgia that brings longtime fans back, while a new protagonist gives the studio a way to build future films around a different generation.
In other words, Pirates 6 could be less about replacing Jack Sparrow than reducing his role from the franchise to part of the franchise.
Depp’s return would still be a major Hollywood comeback
Even in a supporting role, Depp's return would carry enormous attention. He has not led a major Hollywood studio film since Dead Men Tell No Tales.
His next major film role is as Ebenezer Scrooge in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, directed by Ti West and scheduled for November 2026. A return as Sparrow would therefore put him back inside one of the biggest franchises associated with his career.
For now, however, it remains a possibility rather than a completed deal. Bruckheimer's comments confirm that talks are happening and that a screenplay is being developed, but neither Depp's casting nor the final shape of Pirates 6 has been formally announced.
So the real twist in Depp's Pirates comeback is not whether audiences will see Jack Sparrow again. It is whether, after more than two decades, Disney is finally preparing to sail the franchise into a future where Sparrow is no longer its captain.
