Johnny Depp is not closing the door on Captain Jack Sparrow — but he has one condition. The actor told Entertainment Tonight, while promoting his new holiday film Ebenezer, that he would return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 only if the film gives the franchise a proper send-off.

“If things are exactly where they need to be with regard to how they are going to top off the ‘Pirates’ franchise… the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note,” Depp said.

His condition is tied to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, not Disney. “I will go to work with [Jerry] Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything. Doesn’t matter… if it’s Jerry, I trust him. We have a deep friendship,” Depp said.

To be clear: Depp has NOT signed on. Bruckheimer confirmed at Disney’s D23 event in August that “we’re talking with Johnny” and that a screenplay is in development, but no deal is signed and no release date has been announced.

Depp last played Jack Sparrow in 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales. The five Pirates films grossed $4.5 billion worldwide between 2003 and 2017 — and for the millennial generation that grew up on Jack Sparrow, Depp softening his post-trial “never return” stance is the story.

Ebenezer, the film Depp is promoting, opens in theaters November 13. His next film, the Lionsgate thriller Day Drinker, is slated for 2028.

Image: Wikimedia Commons