Depp Pockets $56 Million For ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean 4’

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Johnny Depp had agreed to once again don his pirate costume to play Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean 4. Some were surprised Depp had signed up for the film, but there may have been one huge reason behind him doing so: the phenomenal pay check.

Digital Spy reports that Depp is set to pocket an incredible $56 million for returning to the franchise that has made him probably the best known actor in the world today. This huge sum of money is the highest ever given to an actor up-front for a movie, dwarfing the $50 given to Tom Hanks for agreeing to appear once again as Robert Langdon in Angels and Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code.

A source said:

“The first three films have earned $2.7billion at the box office. It’s no surprise that Disney executives want Jack back and they are willing to pay big bucks to get him.”

It’s almost impossible to conceive of a Pirates movie without Captain Jack so if that’s the sum of money that was required to draw Depp back in to the franchise, then so be it. It’s a shame Keira Knightley doesn’t seem to have been swayed by the money on offer though, as she definitely makes the movies more pleasurable on the eye.

I’m sure the pay wasn’t the only reason Depp came back but it must have helped in some small way. There’s also the possibility that Depp just enjoys his work so much that he wanted to be part of what is clearly going to be a hugely successful blockbuster yet again.