A fan poster for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 imagines what the movie could look like if Johnny Depp returned as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp of course starred in the first four Pirates of the Caribbean films and had a lead role in crafting the now iconic character. Despite the last movie in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, turning a profit, it performed worse at the box office than all previous sequels and didn’t do exceptionally well with fans or critics. Disney clearly had plans for a sequel with Dead Men Tell No Tales post-credits scene teasing Davy Jones is alive, but Pirates of the Caribbean 6 still hasn’t happened.

There are several reasons why Disney has yet to produce another sequel, but a big one is likely due to the abuse allegations levied against Depp by Amber Heard. These allegations led to him losing his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise and are also believed to be part of why Jack Sparrow hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 2017. Details of the court case revealed that Disney was initially willing to pay Depp $22.5 million to return as Jack Sparrow before moving the franchise in another direction. However, it seems incredibly unlikely Depp will ever return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 after he said in court he wouldn’t work with Disney on a sequel even for “$300 million and a million alpacas.

Related: Every Possible Pirates of the Caribbean Follow-Up (Could Any Succeed?)

Even though Depp seems to be done with the franchise, that hasn’t stopped fans from imagining what a sequel with his character could look like. A Pirates of the Caribbean 6 fan poster from diamonddead imagines just that, showing Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow ripping through a pirate flag and appropriately subtitling the movie “The Return of Jack Sparrow.” Check out the artist’s work in the post below:

Click here to view the post on Instagram

All of the evidence points to Depp not returning as Jack Sparrow. Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer previously confirmed Depp isn’t involved in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 at this point but that “the future is yet to be decided.” In 2020 it was reported Disney was moving forward with a female-led movie starring Margot Robbie. Bruckheimer has stated they are still working on that movie as well as another script not including Robbie. At this point, there is virtually nothing known about either film, but it’s almost certain the idea in the above fan poster will not become a reality. 

Jack Sparrow is obviously at the heart of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which has led many to believe Disney can’t succeed without the character. The studio would receive significant backlash if Sparrow was recast with another actor, especially since Depp won the defamation lawsuit against Heard. Robbie is a huge star in her own right, but Disney’s best chance at success would be to bring back Depp as Jack Sparrow for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. The infamous pirate is now one of Depp’s most well-known characters, and it seems highly probable the next installment could flop if Disney decides to leave Jack Sparrow behind.

More: What To Expect From Pirates of the Caribbean 6

Source: diamonddead