At the end of June, some media outlets wrote that the actor could return to the role of the iconic pirate Jack Sparrow, since the studio apologized to him and made a very generous cash offer. We checked to see if this rumor has any basis.

Foreign media began writing about this story en masse in the second half of June, and the news began to spread in the Russian segment of the Internet a little later, at the end of the month. For example, in "Izvestia" material with reference to a tabloid Daily Mail appeared with the following headline: “British media say Depp plans to return to 'Pirates of the Caribbean',” and on Lenta.ru - with this: “It has become known about the possible return of Johnny Depp to the role of Jack Sparrow.” Two news articles were published on the website of the Ren-TV channel, one 27th (“Johnny Depp may sign $300 million deal with Disney”), second - on the 28th (“Disney is trying to bring Jack Sparrow back to the big screen”), where it was said that as a sign of reconciliation, the company sent the actor a gift basket with a touching letter.

In addition to the media, the rumor also spread across social networks, and in some large communities it served as official and confirmed information. Thus, posts about Depp’s return can be found in "VKontakte", TikTok, Telegram, Twitter, on Reddit And "Peekaboo". Let us remind you that in 2018 the media reportedthat Depp will no longer play Captain Jack Sparrow. By allegations actor, this was due to accusations from his ex-wife Amber Heard.

The original source of the rumor that Disney has decided to restore relations with Depp is the Australian site PopTopic, specializing in gossip and news from the world of pop culture and entertainment. We also immediately note that the editors of the publication supported Depp during his trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard, which can be understood from numerous tweets in the official website account.

Inside appeared on PopTopic back on June 7, that is, a couple of weeks before other sites began to distribute it en masse. This fact alone indicates that the rumor is hardly reliable, otherwise at least some authoritative publications would also have written about it. After all, firstly, the conflict between Depp and Heard is one of the most notorious scandals of recent months, and secondly, it is unlikely that such a major deal would have gone unnoticed by authoritative film industry insiders.

According to the publication's insider information, the actor was offered a deal worth $301 million, which would include a large donation to a charity of Depp's choice. According to the terms, he will supposedly have to reprise his iconic role not only in the sixth part of the film franchise, but also in a separate series about the young Jack Sparrow for the Disney+ streaming service. Moreover, the text indicates that the studio contacted Depp even before the libel trial against Amber Heard.

By the way, many Russian-language public pages and media wrote about $300 million, but the difference of $1 million is quite important. The fact is that in April, during testimony at the trial, Heard's lawyer Ben Rottenborn asked actor: "Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on earth would make you come back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, right?" Depp replied: "It's true, Mr. Rottenborn."

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A small note about alpacas. Portals Snopes And Bored Panda it is assumed that in his question the lawyer was hinting at a fan who supported Depp and came to the courthouse with these animals. As it turned out, the girl runs the company My Pet Alpaca, which offers the opportunity to spend time with alpacas and other animals (such as goats and rabbits).

Screenshot of the channel video Law & Crime Network

June 27 on E! Online reported, that Depp’s team commented on the rumor of a return and proposal. The actor's rep allegedly told NBC News, "This is fiction." At the same time, it is not specified what exactly was made up, because it is not indicated how the question asked sounded. Additionally, we couldn't find a link to the rep's words (E! Online didn't provide one either). Perhaps it's because both NBC News and E! Online included part of the NBCUniversal media holding, so one resource could share an exclusive with another. And although it is not clear exactly how much of what was said was fiction, some online communities were quick to issue a “denial.” They wrote that Depp refused Disney's offer, although no such information was received from the actor's team.

I would also like to note several inconsistencies and oddities from the original source. First of all, the alleged proposed amount of $301 million seems simply insane. It is not only comparable to the approximate budget the third part of the film about pirates, but is only slightly inferior to the actor’s total earnings from the first four parts. So, in 2011, when Depp was at the peak of his career, he was considered the highest paid actor in Hollywood and there were rumors that he was about to sign a contract for a fifth of “Pirates”, in Reuters reported the amount of his earnings from the franchise. According to sources, Depp received about $350 million for four films, as the studio paid him a percentage of the profits after the films broke even. And according to Forbes research, published in 2014, the fourth part of “Pirates” became the most expensive film in history with a budget of $410.6 million. At the same time, Depp’s fee was reportedly about $55 million.

Let us add that the box office of the fifth film at the American box office turned out to be the worst in the entire series - they didn’t even reach the $180 million mark. In addition, according to Depp, Heard ruined his career with her false accusations of domestic violence, and his lawsuit was for a total of $50 million - six times less than what the studio allegedly offered him. And the actor's agent in May statedthat Depp was supposed to receive $22.5 million for his role in the sixth film. So the $301 million offer seems too incredible given previously announced earnings, budgets and claims.

Secondly, in May, a video recording of the testimony of Tina Newman, executive director of Disney, was shown at a court hearing. She was asked two questions: did she know about Depp’s earlier words at the trial that he would not return to the franchise for $300 million and a million alpacas, and whether the company would pay him more than $300 million and a million alpacas. Newman answered no to both questions.

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Third, the penultimate paragraph of the PopTopic text says: “Johnny Depp now appears to be eyeing the role of Gomez Addams in Tim Burton's reimagining of the classic TV series The Addams Family.” So he may be busy for the next year.” We're talking about a project "Wednesday"for the streaming service Netflix, in which the plot is focused on a slightly older Wednesday Addams. However, Depp can't possibly be eyeing Gomez's role because it's already received and even played Luis Guzman. It’s strange that the authors of PopTopic do not have official information from open sources, but at the same time they allegedly reveal exclusive insights.