Johnny Depp Turns Possessive Over Captain Jack Sparrow Role After Exit: 'I Need No Company!'
Johnny Depp will not let go of his Captain Jack Sparrow role even after Disney moves forward without him.
Depp, long before his estranged ex-wife Amber Heard came into his life, enjoyed skyrocketing fame as he played the titular role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Despite bringing billions to the company, Disney dropped him days after Heard published her op-ed.
Years after, Disney production chief Sean Bailey officially confirmed the removal of the actor from the franchise's future, telling The Hollywood Reporter that: "We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason (writers) Paul (Wernick) and Rhett (Reese) are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that's what I've tasked them with."
Despite losing the role, Depp is not letting anyone steal the role he worked hard on.
Johnny Depp Holding On To Captain Jack Sparrow In Other ways
When the actor attended the San Sebastián Film Festival, he explained how much the character meant.
"I suppose this is the positive side of having, in a strange way, brought to life those characters like Captain Jack or whichever character I was fortunate enough to uncover and bring to life the beauty of Captain Jack Sparrow," he said.
He low-key slammed Disney, saying he does not need a company to become Captain Jack Sparrow. Per the actor, no one could take the character away from him if he would do it himself.
Indeed, Depp broke the stigma and proved that a pirates movie could do well in the industry. Even "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski said that when he opened the pitch to Hans Zimmer, the film score composer said nobody would want to see a pirate movie.
To everyone's surprise, the first movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," gained a $305 million lifetime gross since its debut in July 2003.
Depp went on to star in four more "Pirates" movies, with second film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" becoming the highest-grossing "Pirates" film with $423 million in sales. Meanwhile, his third film "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" earned $309 million.
Depp's 2017 movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" was the last one he featured in, and it was the lowest-performing chapter ever.
