It’s almost certain that Johnny Depp won’t be returning as Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow, but are there any other Pirates of the Caribbean actors Disney could tap in to replace him in the role? The popularity of Depp’s Jack Sparrow helped drive the franchise to become one of the most profitable in cinema history. Many armchair buccaneers have been wondering: will Johnny Depp, who plays Jack Sparrow, return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6? The current answer is an almost definite no. Depp’s performance alone was not what made The Curse of the Black Pearl work. Gore Verbinski’s direction, the stellar supporting cast, and a tone that swerved deftly between horror, comedy, and adventure were all important factors—something that Disney did not realize until later Pirates of the Caribbean sequels stripped away these elements to focus more on the Jack Sparrow actor.

Will Johnny Depp return as Jack Sparrow for Pirates of the Caribbean 6? According to both Depp and Disney, no. A combination of Depp’s tumultuous personal life and the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie’s underperformance led Disney to distance him from the franchise, although the actor’s fanbase campaigned for the Jack Sparrow actor to be reinstated in the role. Despite this movement, the schism between Disney and Depp was exposed as being incredibly wide, especially during his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. There’s no such thing as impossible, but the chances that Johnny Depp, who played Jack Sparrow, will be back as his old character are close to it. Disney has indicated they may take the franchise in a new Jack-Sparrow-free direction, but this isn’t a guarantee. If Disney decides to keep the character and recast the role, who can replace Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow?

Related: POTC Prequels Can Fix The Franchise’s Jack Sparrow Problem

Mads Mikkelsen

If Jack Sparrow returns in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, the most straightforward route for the creators is to recast the Jack Sparrow actor with a similarly quirky indie darling who has a history moonlighting as a blockbuster star. That is what the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise opted to do when Depp was fired from the role of Grindelwald during pre-production on the third movie. Actor Mads Mikkelsen replaced Depp in that franchise and could be called upon to do the same for the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

However, there are numerous issues with this proposition. The strategy of recasting Depp, who plays Jack Sparrow, didn’t help the ailing Harry Potter spinoff series at the box office, although it was one of the better parts of the movie. The appeal of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise also relies far more on individual actors, meaning Casino Royale villain Mikkelsen would have much bigger shoes to fill as Sparrow. As such, it’s unlikely the Danish star will succeed the Pirates of the Caribbean actor in the role.

Matthew McConaughey

Even if the answer to “will Johnny Depp return to Pirates?” is no, it doesn’t mean there aren’t alternative options for Jack Sparrow, one of whom almost landed the role in Black Pearl. Among the actors originally considered for the role of Jack Sparrow pre-Depp, Matthew McConaughey was initially sought out in the early ‘00s because he resembles the character’s original inspiration, Burt Lancaster. In recent years, McConaughey’s late-career resurgence in popularity has seen him rise out of the rom-com ignominy he was trapped in throughout that decade, and he’s become more popular than ever after taking on more serious roles. However, this critical acclaim has mostly not translated to mainstream blockbuster roles, and the part of Jack Sparrow could be too pivotal to bet on McConaughey’s mixed box office performance in recent years.

Outside of Chris Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi adventure Interstellar, the actor’s most recent major movies Serenity and The Dark Tower were both critical and financial failures that show he may not have the pull to hold a major tentpole franchise together. The Dark Tower’s failure, in particular, isn’t a great sign for McConaughey’s chances of taking over the Pirates of the Caribbean role. It was intended to be a franchise-spawning action/horror blockbuster. Instead, despite Stephen King’s It succeeding and breaking box office records that same year, The Dark Tower crashed and burned.

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Still, studio execs and fans aren’t always on the same page. The alternate Black Pearl where McConaughey, rather than Depp, asked why the rum’s gone has been speculated over by many since the actor’s rise in popularity. Box office sales aren’t everything, and the number of discussions online about the potential Pirates of the Caribbean in which Matthew McConaughey could have played Jack Sparrow may be a sign that writing him off as a replacement because of The Dark Tower would be a missed opportunity for Disney.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix may seem like an odd name to connect with Pirates Of The Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow, but the acclaimed actor’s career has the requisite balance between critical acclaim and mainstream blockbuster success that Depp enjoyed before he took the role. However, Phoenix may already be too successful for the part, as he has shown little interest in taking on roles in tentpole projects (other than the dark, hard-R Joker, and its upcoming sequel Joker: Folie à Deux) and seems unlikely to be interested in lighter comedic work. While Depp could use the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels to boost his profile and fund more personal projects, the combination of Joker’s huge box office success and his Oscar win means Phoenix hardly needs help in that department and is unlikely to board Disney’s sinking ship as a result.

No One

The fact that Disney announced a Margot Robbie-starring Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff and attempted to ape the success of the franchise’s success with 2021’s Jungle Cruise could indicate there is no replacement being lined up for Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. There’s a reason his removal has caused such controversy — he’s the linchpin of the franchise. Disney built Pirates of the Caribbean around Jack Sparrow. The studio could be aware that, according to many fans, Jack Sparrow can’t be recast.

Disney isn’t willing to give up on the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Despite Dead Men Tell No Tales being the least successful of the franchise, it still managed to net $795 million gross internationally from a budget of $230 million. Yes, it was the least successful, but an estimated $565 million profit is still a healthy return for a movie and more than enough further investment in reworking the franchise instead of abandoning it. Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is still in the works, and as a brand it’s recognizable enough that a strong enough new Pirates movie could ensure its survivability without Jack Sparrow.

Related: Jack Sparrow Just Made His Disney Movie Return

Speculation on Depp’s rehiring will never truly die, at least not while promotional tie-ins (like the Sea of Thieves/Pirates of the Caribbean crossover) still rely on Jack Sparrow to spark fan interest. The decision doesn’t only lay with Disney, either. Depp has repeatedly stated he has little to no interest in revisiting the role after he was dropped by the studio. Despite false reports that the actor was considering a return now that the defamation trial has concluded, the proposed $301 million fee is over twice the total budget of Curse of the Black Pearl. If this ludicrous sum wasn’t indication enough that reports were false, Johnny Depp’s team have also gone out of their way to categorically put the rumors to bed, and state that he wouldn’t return “even for $300 million and a million alpacas” (via Metro.co.uk). It seems Disney’s options are to recast Depp or find a new future for Pirates of the Caribbean that doesn’t include Jack Sparrow at all.

Everything We Know About Pirates 6

While the Jack Sparrow actor, nor his character, will be returning to the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Disney has moved ahead with the development of the next installment to the burgeoning franchise. Details surrounding Pirates of the Caribbean 6 are scant, but there have been some updates to its progress. When the project was in its beginnings, there was also a Margot Robbie-led pirates film in development at Disney, which caused quite a bit of confusion. However, Robbie’s movie was scrapped for unknown reasons, and the House of Mouse marched forward with Pirates of the Caribbean 6. Penning the script is Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Ted Elliot (Curse of the Black Pearl), while Joachim Rønning will return to the director’s chair after the plot-hole-ridden Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The most recent update for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, outside of Johnny Depp not being in it, is that the script is in its early stages. No casting announcements have been made for the new Pirates movie, nor has a projected release date, or plot details emerged. It’ll be interesting to see where the Pirates franchise goes without Depp, as his Jack Sparrow character was basically the main character of the series. Speculation surrounding the cast has run rampant, with many believing Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom will return. Their return could prove crucial to the new movie, as Depp’s absence will assuredly be sorely felt. Plenty of other Pirates of the Caribbean actors have expressed interest in returning, such as Bill Nighy, Lee Arenberg, and Kaya Scodelario. Either way, Jack Sparrow not being in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie must be expertly handled in order for the new film to be well-received.

Next: Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 Update Is A Silver Lining After Depp’s Snub