Johnny Depp has said he would return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but only on one condition. Captain Jack has been missing from the high seas since 2017, and the rumor mill keeps spotting sails on the horizon. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been steering the conversation for a while now. Depp finally picked up the phone, or at least the microphone, to answer where he stands.

While Captain Jack Sparrow has spent years drifting without a destination, Depp has now named the single condition that could finally bring him back to shore.

Johnny Depp has not signed on, but he has named his one condition: the next Pirates of the Caribbean film must give the franchise a proper finale. Jerry Bruckheimer is both a franchise producer and a close friend of Depp. Depp headlined five Pirates of the Caribbean films between 2003 and 2017.

“The only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note,” Depp told Entertainment Tonight.

He then added, “I will go to work with Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything. Doesn’t matter… if it’s Jerry, I trust him. We have a deep friendship.”

Depp’s comment came with a catch. Everything must be exactly where it needs to be for the franchise to get topped off, as he explained to Entertainment Tonight. Bruckheimer told Entertainment Weekly in summer 2025 that he had spoken to Depp, and that the screenplay was close but not quite there. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson boarded in 2024, and his third act earned praise while the first two still needed cleanup.

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While Captain Jack waits for a screenplay worth boarding, Depp has already docked at two studio releases that arrive well before any pirate ship leaves port.

Johnny Depp returns to studio screens first with Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, which Paramount releases on November 13, 2026. Ti West directs this darker, supernatural take on Charles Dickens, with Depp buried under heavy period makeup as Ebenezer Scrooge. Andrea Riseborough, Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley and Tramell Tillman fill out the cast. Depp has traded the eyeliner for wrinkles.

Day Drinker follows on March 26, 2027, exclusively in theaters through Lionsgate. Marc Webb directs Madelyn Cline as a private yacht bartender who meets Depp’s mysterious guest, while Penélope Cruz plays the criminal figure behind it all. It marks the fourth film for Depp and Cruz together. Terry Gilliam’s The Carnival at the End of Days, with Depp as Satan, has completed principal photography and sits in post-production. Jack Sparrow, meanwhile, waits patiently for a script worthy of a better note.

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What are your thoughts on Johnny Depp sailing back as Jack Sparrow on a better note? Let us know in the comments.