After winning his defamation case against Amber Heard, Disney has resumed using Johnny Depp’s likeness, which he had previously foresworn owing to charges that he was a ‘wife abuser.’
For the first time since the House of Mouse cut ties with Depp, an image of the vindicated Captain Jack Sparrow actor was projected onto the Disneyland Paris Castle over the weekend.
It was shown during a spectacular Pirates of the Caribbean presentation that included fireworks and pyrotechnics, as well as a statement shouted by Jack Sparrow.
During the trial, Depp told Heard’s lawyer that ‘nothing on this world,’ not even ‘$300 million and a million alpacas,’ could persuade him to work on another Pirates of the Caribbean picture with Disney.
Depp was fired by Disney just four days after Heard accused him of domestic abuse in a Washington Post op-ed in 2018.
Last month, though, a Virginia court ruled in Depp’s favor in his defamation case against his ex-wife, ordering her to pay him $15 million in damages.
One of Depp’s main accusations in his lawsuit was that Heard’s declaration that she was a “public figure symbolizing domestic abuse” cost him his position as Captain Jack Sparrow in the hit Pirates of the Caribbean.
Depp was no longer a part of the franchise’s future plans, according to Disney production chief Sean Bailey, who did not attribute the decision to the allegations against him.
‘We want to bring in a new energy and vibrancy,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter. I enjoy the [Pirates] films, but one of the reasons (writers) Paul (Wernick) and Rhett (Reese) are so intriguing is that we want to give it a jolt. That’s what I’ve given them to do.’
Many people disagreed with Disney’s official statement, and now fans are demanding that Depp be reinstated in the role of the popular figure.
Depp has expressed his dissatisfaction with the judgment, telling the court that
‘It had been two years of continual worldwide publicity about me being this wife-beater,’ he claimed. So I’m sure Disney was attempting to cut ties in order to be safe.
‘At the time, the #MeToo movement was in full swing.’
Depp further said that despite his removal from the film series, Disney still sought to profit off the character.
‘They didn’t take my character off the rides,’ he told the judge.
‘They didn’t stop making Captain Jack Sparrow dolls. They didn’t put a halt to their sales.
‘They didn’t want to find anything following behind me,’ says the narrator.
Depp does not appear to be receptive to a Disney executive’s apologies for ditching him personally despite continuing to exploit his character for business.
‘The fact is, Mr. Depp, nothing on this earth would convince you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas,’ said Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn. Correct?’
‘That is correct, Mr. Rottenborn,’ Depp responded.
Hollywood mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that two scripts for a Pirates of the Caribbean 6 were still in the works, but none contained Johnny Depp.
Speaking about the prospect of a sequel with a female lead, he said: ‘We’re talking to Margot Robbie. We are developing two scripts – one with her, one without.’
However, rumours have started to persist that Depp will return in a supporting role next to Robbie as Sparrow.