Johnny Depp Reportedly Dropped From 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Franchise

Hollywood megastar Johnny Depp is reportedly being dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Word has it that the Walt Disney Pictures title will be getting a reboot as stated by scriptwriter Stuart Beattie to Daily Mail. Reboots usually come with new casts and a fresh storyline and it’s looking like Depp will be out of the picture for the next installment.

Depp has had some bad publicity as of recent — his split with Amber Heard, financial issues and alcohol problems were all pretty high profile the past few years. To top of it off, Dead Men Tell No Tales, the last film from the Pirates franchise performed quite poorly at the box office despite grossing over $794 million USD globally. The studio has also claimed that Depp was difficult to work with in the last film, arriving late to sets and delaying production. A huge change just might be what the franchise needs in order to give new life to one of Disney’s most successful titles. Beattie said:

“I think he’s had a great run. Obviously, he’s made that character his own and it’s become the character he’s most famous for now … I think Jack Sparrow will be his legacy. It’s the only character he’s played five times, it’s the character he dresses up in to visit children in hospitals, it’s what he’ll be remembered for.”

As for the future of the franchise, there are early talks that the Deadpool movie creators Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick could be writing the next Pirates story as its been reported that Disney studios met with the duo last week.

In other entertainment news, Avengers 4 just casted actress Katherine Langford.