Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Review

Fearing overexposure, Johnny Depp is looking to become very picky about his future roles as he begins the next phase of his career. And to aid him in that valiant effort are the recent rumors that the actor has agreed to a $90 million offer to don the Jack Sparrow get-up for yet one more Pirates of the Caribbean installment. Yes, that's right… $90 million! And fearing they'll have to end the Pirates wave before it's been completely bled of every single dollar, Disney is reportedly eager to pay it.

The 49-year-old actor says the huge deal means he will be able to "pick and choose his other roles very carefully on the strength of script, rather than salary." It's certainly not unusual for actors to find greater satisfaction in the heftier roles that more artsy-type films typically bring (not to mention the much smaller paychecks), but it's also worth mentioning that Depp might find himself much lighter in the pockets following his recent break-up with long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and their two children. After all, supporting those Hollywood children can be expensive!

What's even more difficult to comprehend however, is Disney's willingness to fork over this astounding amount of money that could account for as much as one-third of the film's budget.   Even considering that the 4th film in the franchise brought in a whopping $1 billion (with a "b"), this move just doesn't make fiscal sense. This must mean the studio execs have gotten over their distaste for the Jack Sparrow character who they accused of "ruining" the first Pirates movie during its production.

One source said of the rumored deal, "Johnny is being very careful he does not sign on for too many films, he doesn’t want to ruin his career with overexposure like John Travolta or Nic Cage did." A $90 million payday will surely lift a lot of that burden, especially considering that Forbes Magazine lists the actor as having made a paltry $30 million over the previous 12 month period.

Until we get a reliable source that reports this crazy deal has actually taken place, we'll sit and contemplate what a $90 million paycheck must look like. How do all those zeros fit on the check? And meanwhile, while we're doing that, Disney is scrambling for a good script for Pirates 5, apparently having scrapped the first one to start over from scratch.