Depp said Amber Heard’s accusation led to financial ruin. Photo: AP
Johnny Depp arranged a million dollars to shoot the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film before an opinion by Amber Heard describing herself as a victim of domestic violence prompted Disney to cancel the project, Depp’s representative testified Monday.
Jack Whigham Depp’s libel trial against his ex -wife said the head of the Disney film, Sean Baileyand the producer of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, Jerry Bruckheimer, verbally sealed a deal in 2016 to pay Depp $ 22.5 million for the sixth film in the series.
But Depp never saw those millions. The sixth “Pirates” film was never filmed, and Depp never repeated his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Depp on Tuesday, during a trial taking place in Virginia, United States. Photo: AP
Depp sued Heard in Fairfax County, Virginia, court, where Whigham testified remotely on Monday. Depp accused him of slandering Heard’s op-ed, which was published in December 2018. Heard did not use Depp’s name in the op-edbut Depp said it was a clear reference to their divorce in 2016 amid Heard’s accusations of domestic abuse, which Depp has always denied.
Whigham said the op-ed had a “catastrophic” impact on Depp’s career.
Amber Heard appeared in court in Virginia on Tuesday. Photo: AP
“As for Johnny, it’s catastrophic, because it’s a first-person account,” Whigham said. “It’s not from a journalist, it’s not from an observer, it’s from someone saying, ‘It happened to me.'”
Shortly after the opinion piece was published, Bailey told the Hollywood Reporter that Disney will not continue Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. Warner Bros. also changed his role in the “Harry Potter” movie franchise, “Fantastic Beasts,” which he replaced with Mads Mikkelsen.
The document has Depp’s revenue losses released during the trial. Photo: Reuters.
Whigham testified that, from the fall of 2018, Depp has been relegated to lower-paid independent film roles and has not shot a film since 2020.
It’s unclear if Depp will also get an extra paycheck for the sixth “Pirates” film, which will give him more money based on ticket sales. According to reports, Depp has earned more than $ 300 million from the first five films in the series.mainly thanks to retroactive payments.
Depp’s earnings chart is dropping after Amber Heard’s accusation.
In cross-examination with one of Heard’s attorneys on Monday, Whigham said the $ 22.5 million payment he claimed to have secured for Depp was just a verbal agreement with Disney and Bruckheimer, but not written into a contract. He also said that in the fall of 2018, before Heard’s op-ed was published, Bailey had “no commitment” in developing the sixth “Pirates” film with Depp.
Depp had earlier said at trial that he was disappointed that he hadn’t given the characters the “proper send-off”, and he was personally involved in Jack Sparrow’s character development.
Jack Whigham, Depp’s manager, testified under oath during the trial. Photo: EFE
He also said he has no plans to return to the “Pirates” franchise. In 2020, Disney announced that it plans to release a spinoff movie starring Margot Robbie.
Depp sought $ 50 million in damages in his libel suit against Heard, which the op-ed said ruined his career.
Depp’s representative testified via Zoom. Photo: Reuters.
The countersued was heard, alleging that Depp physically abused her multiple times before and during their wedding. and is asking for 100 million dollars in damages.
Source: Clarin
