One week ago Johnny Depp appeared at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim and confirmed he would be reprising his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the first film of a new Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

A few days later the head of Walt Disney Studios, Dick Cook, who Depp credits for why he works with Disney and why he became involved in the Pirates franchise, shocked many people by abruptly leaving the company after 38 years. There are various reports about why Cook suddenly left, although the official story is he resigned.

One thing is for certain, Cook didn’t leave under favorable circumstances, and given he has a healthy relationship with Johnny Depp, a cloud of uncertainty has now emerged regarding Depp’s involvement with future Pirates movies.

Depp has now spoken with the LA Times about the situation, telling them that he has a “potential deal in place” to return but that his return will depend on how good the script is. Clearly things have changed since the D23 announcement.

“There’s a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment,” Depp said.

It would seem that the D23 announcement was made before Depp was bound by contract to return, and it would seem from his latest comments that he can still decide not to go ahead with the film.

Further, Depp is confident he’ll work with Cook again and, if Cook really has left under unfavorable circumstances, it doesn’t seem likely that Depp would want to commit to a three movie deal with those who haven’t supported the man who supported him.

“He will be somewhere and I will always look forward to working with him,” Depp said. “I consider Dick a friend inside an insane system. He’s someone I understand and I think he understands me.”

One way or the other, this is dampening news for Pirates fans and, I’m sure, not the first repercussion that will emerge as a result of Cook’s departure.

Source: LA Times

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