Pirates of the Caribbean producer wants to bring Johnny Depp back to franchise

Pirates of The Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has once again heaped praise on Johnny Depp as he appeared to hint at a possible work reunion.

Depp first starred as pirate Jack Sparrow in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, he then reprised the role for sequels Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, and On Stranger Tides, before making his final appearance in 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Depp was dropped from the franchise amid domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Amber Heard over which he launched a defamation suit in the US.

The high-profile case ended last year, with Depp winning the $50 million suit.

Following the ruling, fans of the Hollywood star called on Disney to reinstate him in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

And it seems as though Bruckheimer could also be open to the idea, having shown support for the actor several times.

During a recent interview with Deadline, Bruckheimer was asked about the possibility of a return for Depp to which he replied: "He’s just so good at what he does and actors recover from things like this.

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"He’s a good individual and he’s a caring individual. He’s somebody that you can rely on and he’s just terrific.

“I think Johnny is an utter friend and an amazing artist and, again, you go through things in life you wish you hadn’t, but he’s still a talented artist."

Bruckheimer has previously made it clear he’d ‘love’ to have Depp back in the role.

Last year, when asked by The Hollywood Reporter if Disney would bring Depp back, Bruckheimer replied with: "You’d have to ask them.

"I can’t answer that question. I really don’t know.

"I would love to have him in the movie.

"He’s a friend, a terrific actor and it’s unfortunate that personal lives creep into everything we do."

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However, representatives for Depp shut down rumours about a return back in June last year when it was reported that ‘Disney [was] very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp’.

Speaking to NBC, a rep for the star confirmed: "This is made up."

And Depp made it very clear during the defamation trial that he would not be making a return to Disney.

Heard’s lawyer Ben Rottenborn asked if it was true that Depp had said ‘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?’, to which Depp confirmed: “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”