Johnny Depp is in talks with Disney about his return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise of which he has been the star for more than 15 years, Poptopic reported, citing a "trusted source close to Disney".
According to the report, Disney is preparing a "$301Mln deal" by way of an apology for having dropped Depp from the business - where he has played iconic pirate, Jack Sparrow - in 2018 after his ex-wife Amber Heard's op-ed in which she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse”.
The source told Poptopic that Disney "reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard". There is also another project awaiting Depp - the Disney+ series about the early life of the captain of the Black Pearl, the source added.
The news comes just weeks after Depp won a defamation trial against Heard. The actor sued his ex-wife over an article in the Washington Post in 2018, in which she alleged she was a "public figure representing domestic violence".
Although Heard did not mention the 58-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star, Depp insisted that her article harmed his reputation and career as he was dismissed from several films because of her claims.
Heard countersued Depp for $100Mln, claiming that her ex-husband and his former attorney Adam Waldman conspired to "defame" her. On 1 June, the jury ruled that both Depp and Heard were liable for defamation. However, the actor was awarded $15Mln in compensatory damages, and Heard received only $2Mln.