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Was Johnny Depp Offered '$301M Disney Deal' for 'Pirates' Return?

We looked into the origins of a rumor alleging that Depp was being offered a deal worth $301 million for a new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie and a Disney Plus series.

Published June 10, 2022

FAIRFAX, VA - MAY 26: (NY & NJ NEWSPAPERS OUT) Johnny Depp shakes hands with a Sheriffs deputy as he departs outside court during the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard civil trial at Fairfax County Circuit Court on May 26, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia. Depp is seeking $50 million in alleged damages to his career over an op-ed Heard wrote in the Washington Post in 2018.(Photo by Cliff Owen/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images) (Cliff Owen/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)
Image Via Cliff Owen/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images

On June 7, 2022, the Australian pop culture blog poptopic.com.au published a new story with the headline, "Johnny Depp USD $301 million Disney deal revealed?!" The rumor, which was shared on Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter, held that Depp, fresh off of his mostly victorious libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, had been offered an enormous amount of money by The Walt Disney Studios to once again star as his "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie character, Jack Sparrow. However, we have yet to find any evidence that a deal for any amount of money is in the works between Depp and Disney.

The article began, "Disney has allegedly offered Johnny Depp a USD $301 million contract deal for him to return as Jack Sparrow in another 'Pirates' film and a Disney Plus series!" The blog only cited "a trusted source close to Disney." However, the story's website address showed that it was filed as a rumor: "/rumour/johnny-depp-usd301-million-disney-deal-revealed/."

In April 2022, Depp was asked in court about returning to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise for future projects. Heard lawyer J. Benjamin Rottenborn asked, "And the fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million dollars and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film, correct?" Depp answered, "That is true, Mr. Rottenborn."

The attorney's reference to alpacas appeared to refer to something that had been happening outside of the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia, where the Depp-Heard trial was taking place. In April, a woman named Andrea Diaz showed up to support Depp's side in the case by bringing along two of her alpacas. Diaz manages My Pet Alpaca, a company that offers opportunities to spend time with alpacas, goats, and other animals. She was interviewed by Law & Crime:

In May, a prerecorded deposition was played for the courtroom in which Heard attorney Elaine Bredehoft asked Tina Newman with Walt Disney Studios, "Is Disney aware that Mr. Depp has testified under oath that he would not take another 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise role for $300 million and a million alpacas?" Newman answered, "No."

Bredehoft then asked, "Would Disney entertain paying Mr. Depp more than $300 million and provide him with more than a million alpacas to be able to obtain his services for any future 'Pirates of the Caribbean' role?" Newman answered again, "No."

According to Yahoo News, Depp was previously "set to be paid $22.5 million for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 6.'" However, that movie was never made. Yahoo News reported that the project never began filming after Heard made "allegations" against Depp in her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post. The op-ed was key to Depp's case in the libel lawsuit.

We attempted to reach out to poptopic.com.au with questions about their story. However, an email address listed by the website automatically sent back a message that indicated the inbox was no longer working. Two Twitter handles for writers that were shown on the website's editorial page were also unavailable.

In sum, there's no evidence that Disney has offered or is considering offering Depp a deal worth $301 million to return to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. This story will be updated if more information comes to light.

Sources

Barakat, Matthew. “Depp’s Agent Calls Heard Op-Ed Piece on Abuse ‘Catastrophic.’” AP News, 2 May 2022, https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-arts-and-entertainment-caribbean-c25353ea7f4c0c9cfda1b8bcc66cc5cf.

---. “Lawyer: Depp Trial Likely to Become Mudslinging Soap Opera.” AP News, 12 Apr. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-johnny-depp-amber-heard-virginia-arts-and-b6394fe9d8b6203ef6bbc3bb0f29531a.

Chaudhry, Sameen. “Johnny Depp’s Disney Demand Of ‘1M Alpacas’ Came Up In Court & He Couldn’t Stop Laughing.” Narcity, 20 May 2022, https://www.narcity.com/johnny-depp-disney-alpacas-court-he-couldnt-stop-laughing.

Haupt, Angela. “This Virginia Woman’s New Business Brings Alpacas Right To Your Door.” DCist, 6 Aug. 2020, https://dcist.com/story/20/08/06/this-virginia-womans-new-business-brings-alpacas-right-to-your-door/.

@iseetheblacksun. Twitter, 5 May 2022, https://twitter.com/iseetheblacksun/status/1522469686423732225.

Johnny Depp Supporter Brought Alpacas to Cheer Him Up During Defamation Trial. Law&Crime Network, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJeeDSPea9E.

“Jury Sides with Depp on Lawsuit, Heard on Counterclaim.” Snopes.com via The Associated Press, https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/06/01/jury-sides-with-depp-on-lawsuit-heard-on-counterclaim/.

Law&Crime Network. Twitter, 19 May 2022, https://twitter.com/lawcrimenetwork/status/1527387414200713218.

MorboDemandsComments. “Why Are People Talking about Being Paid with Alpacas Instead of Money?” r/OutOfTheLoop via Reddit.com, 22 Apr. 2022, www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/u9dkhj/why_are_people_talking_about_being_paid_with/.

Percival, Tom. “Johnny Depp Says He Wouldn’t Do Pirates of the Caribbean 6.” The Digital Fix, 21 Apr. 2022, https://www.thedigitalfix.com/pirates-of-the-caribbean/johnny-depp-sequel.

Shamsian, Jacob. “Johnny Depp Was Set to Be Paid $22.5 Million for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ before Disney Canceled It Following ‘Catastrophic’ Amber Heard Allegations.” Yahoo News, 2 May 2022, https://sports.yahoo.com/johnny-depp-set-paid-22-173707140.html.

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.