Johnny Depp Finally Responds To Rumors That He Will Return To 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'

Johnny Depp is currently not in talks to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Depp earned an Oscar nomination for playing the iconic character in the original 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. A spokesperson for the 59-year-old told PEOPLE that rumors he is returning to the Pirates of the Caribbean for a payday of over $300 million are "false."

A rumor first appeared in PopTopic, claiming the actor was working on a $301 million deal to return to the popular movie franchise. “Disney are very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp. They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another Pirates film or two. I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter, but I’m unsure how it was received. But what I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow — so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character,” an insider alleged.

During Depp's cross-examination in the defamation case, Heard's lawyer Ben Rottenborn confronted the actor with a statement he had made to the press. Rottenborn asked, "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? Depp replied, "That is true, Mr. Rottenborn." According to FOX News, he later said during questioning by his lawyer Camille Vasquez that he felt betrayed by Disney and made the comment after he felt the company had spurned him.

The franchise's producer Jerry Bruckheimer told U.K. outlet The Times in an interview published last month while Depp was in court for his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard that his team was working on "two Pirates scripts — one with [Margot Robbie], one without." Will Depp be back? Bruckheimer, 78, said, "Not at this point" but "the future is yet to be decided." According to E! Online, Depp is currently focussing on his music and is set to join his Hollywood Vampires bandmates—classic rock icons Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen—for an overseas tour next year.