In June 2022, actor Johnny Depp’s trial against the British tabloid The Sun revealed that Disney had attempted to get the actor back for their Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The trial revealed that Disney had offered Depp an eye-watering $301 million to return to the franchise, but Depp stated that not even $300 million would be enough to entice him to return to working with Disney.
Depp had previously starred in the first five Pirates of the Caribbean films, which grossed a combined total of over $4.5 billion worldwide. After the fifth installment, Depp had been replaced by actor Javier Bardem for the sixth film, which was released in 2017.
The trial revealed that Disney had approached Depp in an attempt to bring him back to the franchise. The reported amount that Disney offered Depp in order to cement his return to the franchise was exactly $301 million.
However, Depp refused the offer, stating that he was not interested in returning to the franchise. He also stated that the amount of money offered was not enough to make him reconsider his decision.
The trial also revealed that Depp had been offered a similar amount of money to return to the franchise in 2016, but he had refused that offer as well.
The trial also revealed that Disney had offered Depp the chance to produce a Pirates of the Caribbean spin-off film, but he had refused that offer as well.
It is unclear why Depp refused Disney’s offer, but it is likely that he felt that the amount of money offered was not enough to make him reconsider his decision. It is also possible that Depp was not interested in returning to the franchise after the negative publicity surrounding his divorce from actress Amber Heard.
It is clear that Disney was willing to pay a large sum of money to get Depp back for the franchise, but the actor refused the offer. It is likely that Disney will now look for a new actor to take on the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the future.