Pirates of the Caribbean star Vince Lozano backs Johnny Depp to return to franchise

'Pirates of the Caribbean' star Vince Lozano has called for Johnny Depp to return as Captain Jack Sparrow.

The actor starred as pirate Jacoby in the franchise's original 2003 movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' and feels that Depp "deserves" a chance to reprise the lead role now his legal disputes with ex-wife Amber Heard are over.

Vince told MovieWeb: "I think he deserves another shot as Jack, but I don't think it's going to happen, I'm hearing a lot of stories out there.

"The audience is there though. I do a lot of pirate conventions and there's such a big subculture of people that dress up like pirates, and they love Johnny."

Depp was axed as Jack Sparrow by Disney in 2018 in an attempt to bring a "new energy" to the franchise but Disney Studios Motion Picture president Sean Bailey did not rule out a potential return for the 60-year-old actor.

In an interview with The New York Times newspaper, Bailey said: "We think we have a really good, exciting story that honours the films that have come before but also has something new to say."

Quizzed on whether Depp would be part of the movie, Bailey answered by saying that the studio was "noncommittal at this point".

The 'Edward Scissorhands' star mentioned during last year's defamation trial against Heard that he was disappointed that he didn't get to bid farewell to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' after portraying Jack Sparrow in five films.

Depp said: "My feeling was that these characters should be able to have their proper goodbye, as it were.

"A franchise can only last for so long, and there's a way to end a franchise like that, and I thought that the characters deserved to have their way out, to end the franchise on a very good note. I planned on continuing until it was time to stop."