Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp has been dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.
The sad news comes when Disney Studios is planning a major reboot for the franchise, reports Daily Mail.
Depp, 55, was the major lead in five movies over the past 15 years.
The original scriptwriter of the franchise, Stuart Beattie, has publicly confirmed that Disney Studios appears to be ditching the star as they rework the entire franchise.
Johnny, who has been dogged by personal dramas over the past four years, saw his last outing as Jack Sparrow in Dead Men Tell No Tales, which became the lowest performing movie of the films.
Speaking to the tabloid, Beattie confirmed on camera the reboot meant that Depp was out as Sparrow.
Nodding when it was suggested that Depp was out, he said:
“I think he’s had a great run. Obviously, he’s made that character his own and it’s become the character he’s most famous for now.
“And kids all over the world love him as that character. So I think it’s been great for him, it’s been great for us, so I’m just very, very happy about it.”
Beattie feels no matter what Depp does next in his career, his Hollywood career high point will be defined by Sparrow and amassing more than $4 billion from the movies.
He said: “I think Jack Sparrow will be his legacy. It’s the only character he has played five times, it’s the character he dresses up in to visit children in hospitals, it’s what he’ll be remembered for.”
We will definitely miss Johnny as Jack Sparrow!
