The 59-year-old actor's rep tells ET that the rumors of a $300 million return are 'false.'
Johnny Depp's rep is shutting down reports that the 59-year-old actor is being offered $300 million to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. A rep for Depp tells ET that the actor is not in talks to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, calling the report, "false."
The denial comes after a new report from an Australian outlet, Poptopic, which alleged that Depp was in talks with Disney for a $301 million deal to appear in the sixth Pirate movie.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was questioned about Depp's return to the franchise in an interview published by the Sunday Times last month.
While the future is up in the air, Bruckheimer said there are no plans for Depp to star in the next installment of the Pirates saga. "Not at this point. The future is yet to be decided," Bruckheimer told the outlet.
However, there is still hope for the future of the Pirates franchise, with Margot Robbie pegged as one of the replacements in talks to don the captain's hat. "Yes. We’re talking to Margot Robbie. We are developing two Pirates scripts — one with her, one without," he shared.
Depp earned an Oscar nomination for playing Jack Sparrow in the original 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and starred in the subsequent sequels, which came out in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2017.
During Depp's defamation lawsuit against ex-wife, Amber Heard, he famously spoke about his falling out with Disney amid his public legal battle, telling the court that he would not work with Disney again, even if they offered him a $300 million paycheck.
While his future with the franchise is unclear, the actor has gotten back to work following his defamation trial victory, announcing a new studio album with guitarist Jeff Beck earlier this month.
The album, titled 18, includes 13 tracks and will arrive July 15. "When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity," Beck said in the duo's joint statement. "We would joke about how we felt 18 again, so that just became the album title too."
The first single, out now and titled "This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr" is one of the few original songs from 18 --the rest will be covers. Depp is currently appearing as a guest on Beck's European tour, which will end July 25.
"It's an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff," Depp said in the statement. "One of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother."
For more on Depp, check out the video below.
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