The future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is confusing, let alone the status of Jack Sparrow’s return, but Disney has already come up with the best way to bring the character back. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl premiered in 2003 and stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, a notorious pirate who helps Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner rescue Kiera Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann from the pirates on the Black Pearl. Following The Curse of the Black Pearl’s release, Depp’s performance as Sparrow was highly praised and became one of the actor’s most renowned roles.

Depp is best recognized for his role as Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. But Sparrow is also regarded as one of the best fictional characters of the 21st century. So, although it has been over seven years since Depp has played Sparrow on the big screen, it’s quite unlikely that Disney is done with the pirate. The good news is that even if Depp has officially retired from playing Jack Sparrow and won’t return in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, Disney still has the perfect way to keep the character’s legacy alive in the $4.5 billion franchise.

There are plans in motion for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to resurface with an all-new feature film, but there’s one big problem Disney will need to overcome. Johnny Depp, who has become synonymous with the Captain Jack Sparrow character, is not likely to return for the next movie.

In five Pirates of the Caribbean films, Depp brought his iconic role to life. The actor’s relationship with Disney took a turn when he was accused of domestic violence by ex-wife Amber Heard, and Depp later testified in court that he was fired from playing Jack Sparrow from any more movies as a result. Depp has since proven his innocence in the eyes of many fans by coming out victorious in a defamation trial against Heard, and there has long been a campaign for him to be given back his Pirates of the Caribbean role for the next film.

In a recent interview with Collider, franchise star Geoffrey Rush addressed the reports about a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie happening. Rush, who played Captain Hector Barbossa in all five movies, suggested that it may be an uphill battle in trying to move forward without Depp involved, given the popularity of his Pirates of the Caribbean character.

“Whoever takes over from Johnny, I don’t know what’s gonna happen there,” Rush said. “He’s irreplaceable. Jack Sparrow is the new Robert Newton… Early on, we had a chat between Orlando [Bloom] and Johnny and myself, and he was already talking about pop stars like Keith Richards having that kind of visceral identity that you knew. He said, ‘I’m just fascinated that this character, Jack, spends half his life on land and half his life on water. What if he never really gets his sea legs?’ And that’s where that whole war came from.”

Rush added, “Michael Chekhov, who was a Russian actor, wrote books about the defining moments of creating characters, and people studied that for decades… but I know people like Anthony Hopkins and Jack Nicholson always said, ‘Oh, we all read about Michael Chekhov.’ I went, ‘That was Johnny’s brilliant instinct.’ It’s a whole picture… [Depp] just made the essence of the character.”

What’s Next for Pirates of the Caribbean?

Franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said he wants to see Depp return to the franchise, but that this would depend on Disney making the call. There is also speculation that Depp might not be interested in reprising the role after the unpleasant way he’d lost it. In any case, Bruckheimer has shared how there are two different Pirates of the Caribbean movie scripts in the works, and the plan is to move forward on whichever one is ready first. No plot details have been shared for either script.

In five Pirates of the Caribbean films, Depp brought his iconic role to life. The actor’s relationship with Disney took a turn when he was accused of domestic violence by ex-wife Amber Heard, and Depp later testified in court that he was fired from playing Jack Sparrow from any more movies as a result. Depp has since proven his innocence in the eyes of many fans by coming out victorious in a defamation trial against Heard, and there has long been a campaign for him to be given back his Pirates of the Caribbean role for the next film.