Following Johnny Depp's triumph in the defamation case against former wife Amber Heard, Disney brought back the image of his character Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to its lightshow in Disneyland.
Disney had stopped using the image in 2016 after allegations that the actor was a ‘wife beater’ came to the front. The claims--caused by an op-ed written by Amber Heard in Washington Post--led to Disney cutting ties with Depp.
His recent court victory, however, seems to have changed the entertainment company's mind.
Projected on the Paris Castle in Disneyland, the enormous image was accompanied by fireworks, pyrotechnics and a line spoken by Sparrow.
While to some fans, this hinted at the return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the next movie of Pirates of the Caribbean, the actor had earlier stated otherwise. During the trial, he had said, ‘Two years had gone by of constant worldwide talk about me being this wife-beater. So I’m sure that Disney was trying to cut ties to be safe."
In 2018, Disney production chief Sean Bailey had confirmed that Depp was no longer a part of the franchise’s future plans.
"We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason (writers) Paul (Wernick) and Rhett (Reese) are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that’s what I’ve tasked them with," he told The Hollywood Reporter on being asked if the franchise would survive without Johnny Depp.
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