LOS ANGELES: Johnny Depp will not return as his iconic character Captain Jack Sparrow from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, Disney's film production chief Sean Bailey has confirmed.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Bailey was asked if the "Pirates..." reboot, to be written by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, could survive without Depp.
He replied, "We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that's what I've tasked them with."
Reports that Depp would not be in the reboot surfaced in October during a red carpet interview in which the original film's screenwriter, Stuart Beattie, called the star's time on the franchise "a great run".
Depp, 55, has played the role of Sparrow in five films across 14 years, which have minted over USD 4.5 billion, making it the twelfth biggest franchise of all time.
The most recent outing, "Dead Men Tell No Tales", released in 2015.