There are many ways for to work around Johnny Depp’s exit as the original franchise anti-hero Jack Sparrow. Since 2003’s proved an unexpected sleeper hit, the franchise has been a massive moneymaker for Disney. However, in 2017, the seemingly unstoppable series hit a snag when the as it earned the worst reviews of the series so far as well as underperforming at the box office.

The problems for franchise were compounded when series star Johnny Depp’s legal troubles led Disney to cut ties with him. While veteran said that Depp may still return to the series at some point in the future, how this would be achieved is not yet clear. What is clear is that a version of is currently in production, and this project will need to address the absence of Depp’s Jack Sparrow. A supporting star in the original movie, throughout the sequels Depp became the de facto lead of the franchise.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Could Bring Back Depp’s Jack Sparrow

Since Depp was the main character of both 4 and 5, the most direct way for to get around his exit would be to reverse it. The set up another potential sequel starring Depp’s Sparrow and, now that Bruckheimer has suggested he would be open to Depp’s return, this could end up being how the franchise handles the issue. However, Depp’s return comes with a massive price tag. There were reports that Depp would have earned $22 million for before his 2022 trial.

Since his highly publicized exit from the series, Depp’s fee may have increased, and even if it hasn't the studio would be taking a gamble to bring back such a controversial actor. Not only that, but Depp’s star power hasn’t been tested by a mainstream blockbuster in a long time, so it would be a big gamble to wager a massive portion of ’s budget on his appeal. Finally, both focused on Depp’s Sparrow and suffered critically as a result, meaning viewers might not be enthused by the prospect of another Jack-centric sequel, but Depp’s sizable salary means he would need to be the lead.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Could Forget About Jack Sparrow

could simply ignore the existence of Jack Sparrow, mentioning other characters, settings, and elements of the franchise’s canon without addressing his existence directly. This seems like the most likely route that the n reboot will take in its attempts to replace the franchise’s cast with younger actors. However, this could prove ill-advised, as Depp is still very much the face of the franchise. The fact that Margot was canceled proves that the studio doesn't trust another A-lister with the series, so it could be foolhardy to trust a younger, less well-known cast.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Could Kill Off Depp’s Jack Sparrow

To permanently quell any lingering rumors about Depp’s return, could simply kill off Jack Sparrow. Killing the character offscreen is one way to handle the public downfall of an actor, as evidenced by both ’s revival and the final season of . However, killing off Jack Sparrow won’t work in . Since his introduction, Jack has been a cartoonish-ly suave trickster who both faked his death and returned from a legitimate death, so killing him off won’t do anything to deter fans from believing that Jack will still be back someday.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Could Recast Jack Sparrow

A lot of stars could play if the franchise opts to recast the character. This is what the last blockbuster franchise that fired Depp did when the third movie replaced the actor with Mads Mikkelsen. However, this was not necessarily a comparable situation. For one thing, Mikkelsen replaced Depp in the role of a villain, and one who had already been played by another actor (Colin Farrell) for a good portion of the first movie in the series. For another, Depp’s role in the franchise was not as central as Jack Sparrow’s part.

For many viewers, Jack Sparrow is the heart of the franchise, and, even for viewers who don’t feel this way, it is tricky to imagine a future for the series without him. Everything from the last two sequels to feature Jack Sparrow front and center as the star of the series. As such, it seems unlikely that the series would be able to pull this off recasting the character as the movies have grown to rely on Depp’s performance so much.

Why Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Will Struggle With Jack Sparrow

No matter how handles the fate of Jack Sparrow, the sequel will struggle to please fans of the franchise. If Jack is back, his actor’s exorbitant price tag means he will be the star of the sequel, which was a huge part of what derailed the fourth and fifth movies. If he is ignored, then the sequel will be without a recognizable lead (proving that have been a good idea after all). Meanwhile, if he is killed off, viewers familiar with the series won’t buy this.

Finally, if Depp’s Jack Sparrow is recast, this will anger a substantial subset of fans who are attached to Depp’s depiction of the character specifically. This is something of a no-win situation for the producers of thseries, and it will be tough to guess what option the creators will go for. However, the movies are guaranteed to struggle after their lengthy absence from theaters no matter whatopts to do with Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow.