Johnny Depp axed from Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise

Johnny Depp has been dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean films

The Pirates Of The Caribbean will no longer star Johnny Depp, the Daily Mail has reported. The American actor has been part of the movie series for over a decade, however, he has suffered a number of personal problems over the past four years, such as money issues and a break up with Amber Heard. Stuart Beattie, a scriptwriter for the movies, appeared to confirm the news. He told DailyMail: "I think he's had a great run. Obviously, he's made that character his own and it's become the character he's most famous for now. "And kids all over the world love him as that character so I think it's been great for him, it's been great for us, so I'm just very, very happy about it. "I think Jack Sparrow will be his legacy. It's the only character he's played five times, it's the character he dresses up in to visit children in hospitals, it's what he'll be remembered for. "Before Jack Sparrow came along, Depp was considered this kind of quirky, independent actor that made these really cool little Tim Burton films, but he was by no means a movie star and a lot of people thought we were crazy for casting him at the time. "Because he wasn't a proven commodity; you know, a big movie star. And we were making a big movie and we were putting this quirky, independent actor in the middle of it and people thought we were crazy. The fact that it worked is a miracle. "They were certainly nervous watching the rushes everyday but when it all came together, something just clicked and it was magic and connected with audiences. I'm proud to be a part of it." Depp has been part of five films in the franchise in total. The last was Dead Men Tell No Tales which received poor reviews.