In news you probably didn't have on your 2023 bingo card, Johnny Depp might be ready to return to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Jerry Bruckheimer, one of the franchise's producers, said he would "love" to see Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the franchise's sixth installment.
Asked about Disney's own series on the Oscars red carpet, Bruckheimer told Entertainment Tonight: "We're all working on [the next Pirates movie]. We'll see how it goes. We're very excited, I think we'll have a great scenario when we get closer."
When asked if Depp would reappear in the role, he replied, "We'll see. Would love to. Would love to have him in the movie, that's all I can tell you."
The news may come as a bit of a surprise to fans and Depp himself, who has been embroiled in a libel court battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard for most of the past year. As part of the lawsuit, Depp and his agent claimed that Depp was removed from the film series and not awarded a $22.5 million fee due to Heard's domestic violence allegations.
The court case came after Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post in which he claimed to have been the victim of sexual and physical abuse, but did not specifically name Depp. During the defamation lawsuit, which was streamed online, both sides claimed they were abused by the other partner.
The jury found Heard liable on three counts of defamation and awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, later reduced to $350,000.
However, Heard was awarded $2 million in damages based on his counterclaim that Depp's attorney had published false and defamatory statements about him in the charity-based Daily Mail.
Late last year, The Sun first floated the idea that Depp might return to POTC. According to a source, his name appeared on a February 2023 filming test request for the film: "Johnny is expected to return as Captain Jack Sparrow and begin filming at a higher level in early February at a secret location in the UK.
Everything is still in its infancy and there is still no director for the project called A Day at Sea. Johnny is expected to do a test shoot in early February before full production begins.
Since the court case, Depp has focused on his musical endeavors rather than acting. She performed with Jeff Beck before Beck's death in January this year and will give two memorial concerts for him with Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall in May.
Torikatu Kala