Johnny Depp’s “Reason” for Not Appearing in “Pirates of the Caribbean” Sequel Told in Court

Last Updated on 04/29/2022 by てんしょく飯

Actor Johnny Depp’s former agent told the court why he will not appear in a sequel to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series in which he has starred.

Johnny Depp’s Former Agent Testifies in Court

In a trial in which actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation, Johnny’s former agent Christian Carino, who works for Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a major U.S. talent agency, testified that the abuse allegations have “traumatized” Johnny’s image. The alleged abuse had a “traumatic effect” on Johnny’s image, which led to the cancellation of a sequel to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series in which he starred.

Although Disney has never mentioned Johnny’s departure from the series and has never directly fired him, it is an open fact that Disney has been reluctant to allow him to return to the series for a sequel. In fact, no sequel has been produced since the 2017 release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Last Airbender.

Carino, who testified remotely that day, when asked if he knew why Johnny would not appear in a sequel to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, said that he himself had not spoken to anyone other than executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and added, “In my opinion, Amber’s I think it is related to the accusations,” he stated. He added that although the abuse allegations were never openly discussed as a reason for the series’ demotion, “it was understood that way in the industry.”

Johnny claims that Disney decided to disassociate itself from him because of an op-ed* published in the Washington Post in 2018, which is the genesis of the current defamation trial, but Amber’s lawyers claim that Disney had earlier made the decision to remove Johnny from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, and one of the key issues in the case is when Disney made that decision.

*Amber, who wrote this editorial, did not name Johnny, but claimed that she herself is a survivor of domestic violence/domestic abuse, and also revealed the details of the DV she accused two years ago (i.e., the timing suggests that the perpetrator was Johnny).

When asked by Amber’s lawyer for a definite time frame, Carino replied, “I don’t know.” Meanwhile, Johnny’s lawyer disclosed an email exchange between Mr. Carino and another agent in 2018 to prove that there was no mention of Johnny being removed from the series until the editorial was published. The email, which Mr. Carino sent to another agent when news of Johnny’s departure from the series broke after the editorial was published, asked, “Have we ever been officially told by Disney (about his departure)?” (Mr. Carino) and “No” (another agent).

Incidentally, Mr. Carino, who is known as the former fiancée of singer Lady Gaga, is close enough to Johnny and Amber to call them friends and has represented them on various occasions in the past, but neither of them is currently involved.