The actor behind Captain Jack Sparrow in thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise,Johnny Depp, is currently in the middle of a very public libel case against The Sun. Depp is suing the news outlet for defamation because it published an article calling him a “wife-beater,” despite evidence to the contrary.
The publicity surrounding the case has caused Disney to shy away from Depp, as is evident by the fact that it has two differentPirates of the Caribbeanmovies in the wings that don’t have Johnny Depp — the face of the franchise — involved. Considering Depp’s situation, Disney’s choice has caused manyPiratesfans to speak out on his behalf, and now one of Depp’s co-stars, Greg Ellis, has joined the fray.
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Greg Ellis played Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves in three ofthe fivePirates of the Caribbeanmovies:Curse of the Black Pearl, At World’s End,andOn Stranger Tides. Groves was the second-in-command to the first three movies' main government baddie, Lord Cutler Beckett. Groves seemingly died inStranger Tideswhen he got shot trying to claim the Fountain of Youth for the British.
While discussing his new podcast called The Respondent, Ellis claimed that it would “be odd” for thePiratesfranchise to simply reboot without concluding Captain Jack’s story and acknowledging Johnny Depp — who has carried the series this far. Ellis compared the situation to not having Captain Kirk appear in aStar Trekfilm. For him, in an ideal world,Disneywould, at the very least, bring back and wrap up Captain Jack’s story, along with those of any other fan-favorite characters before rebooting the series.
All that said, Ellis isn’t againstMargot Robbie’s upcomingPirates of the Caribbeanspin-off. He believes that if it “starts and ends with a story,” and takes care to honor the legacy of the franchise, then he’s all for it. As it stands now, though, Margot Robbie’s film is struggling just to get permission to add an easter egg or nod to Johnny Depp and Captain Jack Sparrow.
At the moment,Johnny Depp’s future with thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchiseis unclear. However, he does seem to have fan support on his side, and some Disney bosses are apparently lobbying for him to make a complete return to the franchise considering what’s happened in the libel case so far. Both Margot Robbie’sPiratesand Ted Elliott’s — the original writer’s — reboot are still early in development, so the possibility for Depp to return definitely exists.
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