Pirates of the Caribbean actor praises 'irreplaceable' Johnny Depp as reboot continues to progress

Barbossa actor Geoffrey Rush has praised Johnny Depp's performance as Captain Jack Sparrow and labelled the actor irreplaceable in a new interview about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

"Whoever takes over from Johnny, I don't know what's going to happen there. He's irreplaceable. Jack Sparrow is the new Robert Newton.... Early on, we had a chat between Orlando [Bloom] and Johnny and myself, and he was already talking about pop stars like Keith Richards having that kind of visceral identity that you knew. He said, 'I'm just fascinated that this character, Jack, spends half his life on lands and half his life on water. What if he never really gets his sea legs?' and that's where that whole war came from," Rush said in an interview with Collider.

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Depp has been the subject of controversy for several years now, even beyond the very public trial between the star and ex-wife Amber Heard. Stories of the actor causing havoc on movie sets and showing up drunk have permeated the Hollywood landscape his entire career, and it's unclear if he'll be involved in any future Disney projects.

Two new movies have been confirmed for the series, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer stating in May of this year that one would star Margot Robbie, while the other would be a full reboot intended to refresh the franchise.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bruckheimer said that: "It's two different movies. We hope to get 'em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too."

Later in the same interview, Bruckheimer confirmed that the second movie would be a reboot while also throwing his weight behind Depp.

"It's a reboot, but if it was up to me, he [Depp] would be in it. I love him. He's a good friend. He's an amazing artist and he's a unique look. He created Captain Jack. That was not on the page, that was him doing a little Pepé Le Pew and Keith Richards. That was his interpretation of Jack Sparrow."