Johnny Depp fans are threatening to boycott the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean reboot following reports that the actor will not be reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the film. Instead, producer Jerry Bruckheimer says the next installment in the swashbuckler film series will feature new characters and actors.

Johnny Depp Fans Blast The Reboot On Social Media

“It’s hard to tell. You don’t know, you really don’t know,” Bruckheimer said when asked about Top Gun and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. “You don’t know how they come together.

You just don’t know because, with Top Gun, you have Tom Cruise, who is iconic and brilliant.

And how many movies he does before he does Top Gun, I can’t tell you. But we’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.”

Although Bruckheimer didn’t provide any specifics about the project, Johnny Depp’s fans expressed disappointment at the prospect of a film without him.

There’s no f**king point in having Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp. He’s the soul of this franchise, this is bs! The reboot is gonna sink,” one unhappy person wrote on X.

Vow Not To Watch The Reboot

If Johnny Depp isn’t in this new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I’m not watching it. No Johnny Depp. No Pirates,” wrote another.

Others shared the sentiment, saying, “Johnny Depp’s presence is the reason we all continue to show up at the cinema and why these movies continue to make an obscene amount of money at the box office.”

No Word On The Female-Led Pirates Film

Disney had previously toyed with the idea of a female-centric Pirates of the Caribbean film starring Margot Robbie.

However, due to the massive success of Barbie in 2023, Robbie might not be available. But she could still contribute as a producer.

Ayo Edebiri, known for playing Sydney Adamu in The Bear, was also rumored to be up for a leading role in a female-led Pirates movie.

Disney’s Billion Dollar Pirates Franchise

Johnny Depp debuted as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

His performance was praised for its unique blend of humor, charm, and eccentricity, earning him widespread acclaim and recognition, including BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

Johnny Depp reprised his role as Jack Sparrow in the subsequent films of the franchise, including “Dead Man’s Chest in 2006, At World’s End in 2007, On Stranger Tides in 2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.

However, after the latter’s release, reports emerged that Depp had been dropped from the franchise and would not be returning for a sixth installment.

Disney Dropped Johnny Depp Following Amber Heard’s Allegations

The decision to drop Johnny Depp from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise stemmed from a legal dispute between Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.

Depp filed a libel lawsuit against a British tabloid that referred to him as a “wife-beater” when referring to his marriage to Heard.

The lawsuit led to a highly publicized trial in 2020, during which both Depp and Heard provided testimony.

The legal battle escalated when Johnny Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Heard in response to an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, where she discussed being a survivor of domestic abuse. The actor claimed that the op-ed implied he was the abuser.

Depp was eventually awarded $10 million in damages. Since then, fans have advocated for his return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.