Johnny Depp has one condition for returning as Captain Jack Sparrow

Dubai: Johnny Depp has said he's open to one more voyage as Captain Jack Sparrow, on one condition: that it gives the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise the ending he thinks it deserves.

The actor made the comments to Entertainment Tonight while promoting his new film, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, which opens in UAE cinemas on Thursday, November 12.

What Depp said

Depp stopped short of confirming that he has signed on for a sixth film. However, he made it clear what would bring him back.

"If things are exactly where they need to be with regard to how they are going to top off the 'Pirates' franchise… the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note," Depp said, Variety reported.

He also spoke about his loyalty to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has produced all five films in the series.

"I will go to work with Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything. Doesn't matter… if it's Jerry, I trust him," he said. "We have a deep friendship."

Where Pirates 6 stands

Disney hasn't announced a cast or release date for a new Pirates film. However, Bruckheimer has been open about wanting Depp back.

At Disney's D23 fan event in August, Bruckheimer told Deadline: "We're talking with Johnny, we're working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done," CBR reported.

He had already hinted at a return in summer 2025. "If he likes the way the part's written, I think he would do it," he told Entertainment Weekly at the time. "We are still working on a screenplay. We want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay. We haven't quite gotten there yet, but we're close."

In 2024, Bruckheimer described the new film as a reboot. "It's a reboot, but if it was up to me, Johnny would be in it," he said.

Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the most recent film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, is working on the script.

The road back

Depp's future with the franchise became uncertain amid his legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. In 2022, a US jury found that Heard had defamed Depp in a Washington Post op-ed, and also found that Depp had defamed Heard.

Disney had also explored other directions for the series. In 2020, it was reportedly developing a reboot led by Margot Robbie alongside a sixth film in the original franchise. Robbie said in 2022 that Disney was no longer interested in a female-led film.

Depp's Hollywood return

Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol marks Depp's return to a major Hollywood studio film. Directed by Ti West and backed by Paramount, it sees Depp play Ebenezer Scrooge in a new take on the Charles Dickens classic.

Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit and Ian McKellen is Jacob Marley. Andrea Riseborough and Tramell Tillman play the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, and Daisy Ridley and Sam Claflin are also in the cast.

Depp is also set to appear in Lionsgate's thriller Day Drinker, due in 2028.

Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol is in UAE cinemas from Thursday, November 12