“Pirates of the Caribbean 5” production has been put on hold as everyone awaits Johnny Depp’s return to Australia. Up to 200 workers of the $250 million pirate-centered blockbuster have been stood down as they all wait for their lead star’s recovery from his alcohol-related problems.
The 51-year-old actor flew back to Los Angeles on March 11 to have a surgery on his right hand. He recently got into an accident, which sources have described was a result of his “wild weekend bender.” The said accident occurred at Mick Doohan’s highly luxurious Coomera property early this month.
Daily Mail has reported that he was at a private track that was owned by five-time MotoGP world champion, Doohan, when the accident happened. He was reportedly driving a go-kart.
And while dealing with his broken wrist, Courier Mail reported that the execs of Disney visited Depp at his private home and encouraged him to seek help for his problems. It is only when he finally recovers from his alcohol issues that he can return to the Gold Coast to resume filming for the much awaited “Pirates of the Caribbean 5.”
Although the film’s lead star will be gone for around a couple of weeks, his absence “will only minimally affect production as other scenes are filmed.”
“Pirates of the Caribbean 5” will be hitting theaters on July 7, 2017. Depp will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow. Joining him will be Geoffrey Rush, Stephen Graham, and Kevin McNally, according to Cinema Blend.
There are new additions to the case, namely, Kaya Scodelario from “The Maze Runner,” Brenton Thwaites from “The Giver,” Golshifteh Farahani, and Javier Bardem form “Skyfall.”
Rumor has it that Orlando Bloom will be returning to the franchise’s fifth installment as well. The actor’s desire to return to the franchise has never been a secret. He has actually been pretty vocal about his interest to reprise his role as Will Turner.
“There have certainly been some discussions about it and I am open to it,” Bloom told IGN. “That whole experience working with Johnny and director Gore Verbinski was really amazing for me. I had a great time working with Johnny, one of the reasons I jumped at the opportunity was because Johnny was involved.”
Hopefully, Depp gets to recover soon enough so that everyone can get back to work and continue filming the much awaited fifth installment. Depp’s older sister and his personal assistant, Christi Dembrowski, are reportedly taking care of him while he is in his “at-home rehab program.”
