Johnny Depp Reportedly Demanded ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ Script Change Because Of Amber Heard

For weeks, rumors have soared that Johnny Depp had demanded a significant change to the Pirates Of The Caribbean script. But no one seemed to know precisely why. Now, in a shocking new update to those allegations, a new report claims that Depp’s ex Amber Heard is the alleged reason that Johnny insisted on those changes.

With Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales boosting its buzz, it’s not just news about the comeback of Captain Jack Sparrow that’s causing excitement. There also is new speculation that it’s Amber Heard who caused Johnny Depp to reject the draft script of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 for a shocking reason, reported Celebeat on May 24.

That first script starred a female villain who allegedly reminded Depp of Heard. According to the new rumors, Johnny was suffering from marriage problems when he first saw the Pirates of the Caribbean 5 script. Consequently, Depp reportedly associated the female villain in that draft with Amber, which caused him to reject that character.

Speculation continues about what really caused Johnny and Amber to split. And although hearing that your husband rejected a script because the female villain reminded him of you might be grounds for a breakup, a new report alleges that it was one of Heard’s films rather than part of Depp’s Pirate franchise that contributed to the marriage demise.

On May 25, the Daily Mail told readers that Depp had “ordered” his then-wife Amber to step away from a movie that had sex scenes. The alleged pressure that Johnny put on Heard reportedly played a role in the former couple’s divorce.

Consequently, Depp has gotten tangled in what the publication termed a “legal minefield” surrounding the film London Fields. The legal papers indicate that Amber is being sued by producers for $10 million over a contract dispute, while Heard is counter-suing with allegations that she was the victim of sexploitation.

The new allegations linking Amber to Depp’s rejection of the Pirates script and bringing Johnny into Heard’s sexploitation legal drama come at an unfortunate time in his career. Hinting that Johnny has been having questionable success in recent years, Deadline reported that the Pirates leading man “could use a boost at the box office.”

Depp’s last $100 million-plus opening at the box office was Alice in Wonderland in 2010, which raked in $116 million. During the past six years, the actor’s three-day stateside starts have fallen to an average of $20 million per film.

Will Memorial Day weekend mark a turning point for Johnny’s career? It’s not just Depp’s career that needs a boost, however, according to the publication.

Disney reportedly has its corporate fingers crossed that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which marks the fifth in the Pirates series, proves to be a turning point for box office issues. The four-day Memorial holidays haven’t been kind to Disney, with 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ($200M production cost, $336.4M global) used as an example by the publication.

So how will Dead Men Tell No Tales fare? Despite an initial $100 million stateside four-day projection, it’s now ranging between $80 million to $85 million. If that holds true, the newest Pirates film will slip 6 percent to 11 percent from the opening of the last film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($90M).

On Thursday night at 7 pm, Dead Men Tell No Tales will start telling tales at the box office. By Friday, look for Dead Men Tell No Tales to attract audiences at 4,276 theaters. For those who love statistics, that equals more than 3,100 3D locations, 400 Imax locations, more than 500 Premium Large Format locations, 170 D-Box locations, 10 4D auditoriums, and three locations featuring the new ScreenX three-screen format.

Dead Men Tell No Tales also has the opportunity to make waves at international box offices. Disney will stage its first partnership with Screen X in eight countries, using three sides of a theater’s walls to provide a 270-degree experience. In Imax, the Depp’s film debuts on 647 screens internationally, with 400 of them in China.

[Featured Image by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]