Johnny Depp has been axed from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise.
Johnny Depp
The 55-year-old actor - who starred as Captain Jack Sparrow in the money-spinning film series - has been cut by Disney from a reboot of the 'Pirates' movies.
Original 'Pirates' script writer Stuart Beattie confirmed that Depp has been cut from the reboot, telling DailyMailTV: "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."
Beattie explained that regardless of where Depp decides to take his career, he'll always be closely associated with the 'Pirates' franchise.
He said: "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."
Tagged in Johnny Depp