Johnny Depp Says He’d Turn Down Pirates of the Caribbean Return in Court Testimony

Johnny Depp says that there is nothing Disney could offer to get him to return to Pirates of the Caribbean. During cross-examination in the defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday, Depp admitted that he did not want to return to the franchise which saw the actor play one of his most memorable roles, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Depp is currently suing Heard for $50 million, claiming that accusations Heard made in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, despite never mentioning Depp by name, destroyed his career and reputation. One of the role’s that Depp claims Heard’s op-ed cost him was a return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. However, it appears that Depp may not have returned the franchise anyway. Heard’s attorney Ben Rottenborn asked Depp on cross-examination if it was true that there was “nothing on this earth” would get Depp to return to work with Disney on a Pirates film and he responded, “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”

“The fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film? Correct?” Rottenborn asked

“That is true, Mr. Rottenborn,” Depp replied.

Rottenborn went on in cross examination to attempt to establish that Disney had decided not to have Depp continue in the franchise before Heard’s op-ed and referenced a 2018 Daily Mail report that suggested the franchise was moving on without Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Depp and Heard have been locked in legal battles for several years after Heard divorced Depp and then obtained a temporary restraining order against him in May 2016. In 2018, Heard wrote the previously mentioned op-ed in The Washington Post and the relationship between Depp and Heard came under even more scrutiny after Depp filed a libel lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun after the publication referred to Depp as a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article. Depp lost both the initial lawsuit as well as the appeal. The current legal proceeding is taking place in Virginia and is being broadcast on Court TV.

“Court cases that are as high-profile as this one often create a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to break through these distractions to have a clear picture of the facts, but that’s where we come in,” Ethan Nelson, Acting Head of Court TV, said in a statement. “Between the camera feed directly from the courtroom and our first-class lineup of talent, Court TV will be the true source of an unbiased, down-the-middle perspective of the trial as it unfolds.”

h/t: ScreenRant