'Pirates of the Caribbean' producer hints at possible return of Depp

Although Johnny Depp has said he will never return to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, longtime series producer Jerry Bruckheimer says the matter is not set in stone.

In an interview with The Times, Bruckheimer was asked if Depp would return for either of the two upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean projects. Bruckheimer said: "Not yet, that's still to be determined in the future."

Depp has long been the face of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, starring as Captain Jack Sparrow in all five of the past films. However, the two upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movies are one with a female lead (Margot Robbie), and the other is a reboot of the franchise.

According to Bruckheimer, both films are still in the works.

"We are in talks with Margot Robbie. We are developing two Pirates of the Caribbean scripts, one with her and one without her."

Depp had previously stated that he would no longer cooperate with Disney in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.

During Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard, Depp said Disney dropped him from the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie after Heard published an op-ed about their relationship. Under cross-examination, Depp suggested Disney wouldn't offer anything to bring him back.

The most recent "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was 2017's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," which grossed $172 million in North America and $622 million internationally, for a total of $795 million.