Is a recycled story about Disney and Depp something worth a mega pint of hope or does it require an ocean’s amount of salt? Let’s find out:
Before I jump into this rumor and where it’s coming from, let me first say that I find it very interesting the thing is ramping up right as The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors begins their “health check” on the company in Florida. The Board doesn’t get together as a group and stay in consultation for day-after-day on a regular basis, so this is a heck of a time for a Johnny Depp rumor to kick up dust. For those who view Johnny Depp and Amber Heard as a key point in the culture war, it’s a sure bet they would jump to the conclusion this means Disney is picking a side.
A deeper dive into the situation, however, reveals that there are some moths in the attic of this rumor. And unfortunately, a few of the threads are just a little too unbelievable to go after. Let’s start with the amount of money in the rumor at hand.
According to the New York Post, The Walt Disney Company is allegedly offering $301 million to Johnny Depp if he will return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise for essentially a decade of new films and shows. Problem number one with this is that the $300 million amount is ludicrous. Just stop for a minute and think that Tom Cruise earned $100 million off of Top Gun Maverick, but only because he gambled his own money and effort on the production… and it has made, thus far, more than a billion dollars. Johnny Depp is also a billion dollar actor – in fact, he has more than a couple of billion dollar movies while Tom Cruise has only one — but $301 million is an astronomical number. Disney would have to be banking on the idea that Johnny Depp is worth three billion in revenue if he’ll come back to Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe he is, but inking a semi-guaranteed deal up front on that kind of number would be a staggering gamble. On top of all that, Depp is 59 years old… he’d be close to 70 when the deal was finished. Does Disney really believe that a 68-year-old Depp would be pulling in tweens and teens for Pirates movies?
Johnny Depp to reprise Captain Jack 'Pirates' role with $301M deal: report https://t.co/iFRvkMUdHn pic.twitter.com/4FdCrdd9gT
— New York Post (@nypost) June 27, 2022
Here’s the bigger problem. The rumor started up in an Australian website called “PopTopic.” I don’t have any particular problem with that website, but even they are labeling the thing as totally a “rumor.” On top of that, their original story claims an “industry insider” told them the details of this supposed negotiation by Disney and Depp. How did that go from a nebulous “industry insider” to a “source inside Disney” in some of the other websites that started running with this in the last twenty-four hours?
The biggest problem?
But before Depp fans get too excited, a representative for the actor told NBC News, “This is made up.”
— Mike Vulpo, E! Online
So is a Johnny Depp return inevitable for Pirates of the Caribbean? I think that depends on Mr. Depp. Disney may be looking for a way to generate revenue and interest in the near future. The prior direction of the company may not be so predictable as it has been in the past concerning political winds. But the deal in question isn’t likely, the money is silly, and Disney leadership would likely want to wait at least another few months to let the embers die out on Amber Heard’s attempts to castigate anyone who works with her ex.
Time is definitely ticking for both sides though. An older Jack Sparrow might be fun, but the sooner the better for a pirate’s life to be.
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