Is Johnny Depp Actually Getting $56 Million For Pirates 4?

It may sound too ridiculous for words, but the Daily Mail says that Johnny Depp will receive almost $56 million (or 32 million pounds) to film a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Think about that: $56 million, no matter how well the movie does. $56 million just to show up, put on a pirate outfit and pretend to be Keith Richards.

The alleged payoff wildly exceeds any previous figure an actor has received upfront, but it might not actually be a bad investment. While Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow would be crucial in any sequel, Disney can afford to toss Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush and Chow-Yun Fat off the boat. Really, as long as Depp’s on board, there’s no need to bring on another high-salaried celebrity, freeing up a good bit of the budget.

There’s also the fact that the last two sequels made around a billion each worldwide, without even counting profits from DVD sales or merchandising. $56 million may be a ginormous sum for your average earthling, but when you’re the most valuable player on an enterprise like Pirates, it’s chump change. Bet Johnny never saw this coming when he was on 21 Jump Street.