Jerad sent me this link to an interesting interview Newsweek had with Johnny Depp. In the interview Depp talks about fatherhood… fame… media… oh, and this little film franchise he has going at the moment called “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Heard of it?
One of the more interesting bits in the interview is near then end as Depp talks about his desire to keep playing Capt. Jack:
The huge success of the film “made perfect sense to me on the one hand, and at the same time, it made no sense at all, which I kind of enjoyed.” He takes another drag, exhales. “Yeah, it just felt right. Even now, with the dolls and the cereal boxes and snacks and fruit juices, it all just feels fun to me, in a Warholian way. It’s absurd. It doesn’t get more absurd.” Depp’s not ready to let go of Captain Jack just yet. “He’s a blast to play,” he says. “I’ll be in a deep, dark depression saying goodbye to him.” He laughs. “I’ll keep the costume and just prance around the house, entertain the kids.” Or the rest of the world. “Maybe ‘Pirates 4, 5 and 6’,” he says. “If they had a good script, why not? I mean, at a certain point, the madness must stop, but for the moment, I can’t say that he’s done.”
Well… I guess that’s a bit of a spoiler. Jack Sparrow doesn’t die in 2 or 3. As far as Pirates 4, 5 and 6 goes… don’t get your hopes too high. First of all I’m sure some of this is the typical pre-release hype marketing that actors do for a film. I’m not saying Depp is lying at all… just that he’s in movie marketing mode right now. And that’s totally fair… that’s his job afterall.
Second… don’t forget that Johnny Depp doesn’t decide if there will be more Pirates movies or not. That decision is up to the studios. Depp strikes me as a really versatile actor who, when all is said and done, will probably want to move on and do other more diverse projects. Besides… as TOTALLY EXCITED as I am for Pirates 2… how many can you really do before it gets tired? I think 3 is perfect… then let it go.
However, keep in mind that I’m saying that before seeing 2 and 3… but still… even if they’re brilliant (and we have no reason to suspect they won’t be), I think after 3 it’s time to tuck Capt. Jack away. 4 would really be pushing it. Although I’m sure Orlando Bloom would love 3 more Pirates movies… his career is pretty much done.