'Pirates of the Caribbean' bosses shun Johnny Depp for Austin Butler: Report

Austin Butler is reportedly being considered for reprising the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, which was previously played by Johnny Depp.

An insider lately shared with Life & Style that the bosses of the blockbuster movie have noticed how Margot Robbie’s Barbie turned out to be a “global phenomenon,” and now they want her to take on a new project for their franchise.

“Disney was looking at two options for bringing back the Pirates movies: handing over the franchise to Margot Robbie and hope the Barbie lightning strikes twice with a one-off female-skewing story, or bringing back Johnny Depp for a sixth go at Jack Sparrow, which would be expensive and risky,” a studio source spilled the beans.

They also pointed out, “Considering Johnny’s age and polarizing reputation, making that version would play like a franchise finale, even though Johnny still has his supporters inside the franchise.”

Nonetheless, the Dune actor has also showed his interest in the upcoming movie despite playing coy about the role earlier.

“Austin Butler and his team’s interest in the franchise has come at exactly the right time, and it doesn’t necessarily mean curtains for Margot’s take or even a return appearance by Johnny,” the insider also shared.

“The appeal of somebody like Austin is that he can completely transform into a character, and the potential is there to create something as unforgettable as Johnny’s work on the first film 21 years ago. Plus, he’s proven himself with accents, action and even weird comedy,” they concluded.