Johnny Depp Just Challenged Orlando Bloom to a Beard-Growing Contest — Over Pirates 6
If you’ve been holding your breath for Captain Jack Sparrow’s return, Johnny Depp just handed you a punchline instead of an answer.
At a special New York City screening of his new film Ebenezer on Sunday, PEOPLE asked the 63-year-old actor whether he’d consider reprising the role after Orlando Bloom’s recent reunion push. Depp’s response: “Well, I think we should have a contest of who can grow the fastest non-beard. Because neither of us can grow a beard, I don’t think. I can’t, for sure, but maybe he can. I don’t know.” (via PEOPLE)
It was not a yes. It was not a no. But for a franchise stuck in limbo for years, the non-answer is almost on brand — and it’s the closest thing to a door left open since Depp declared he’d never work with Disney again after his 2022 defamation trial.
Bloom started this round. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the 49-year-old said he stays in touch with Depp and praised the original cast as “a really good bunch of people,” pointing to Hollywood’s nostalgia wave.
Depp went further with Entertainment Tonight, saying he’d happily reunite with franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer for anything: “The only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note.”
Reality check: no studio has greenlit a sixth Pirates film. Bruckheimer told EW in 2024 that two Pirates projects were in development — a reboot and another involving Margot Robbie’s production company. No Pirates film has sailed since 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Depp’s own comeback vehicle, Ebenezer — in which he plays Scrooge — hits theaters November 13. More via Parade.
Featured image: Johnny Depp at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
