Muhammad Ali Inspired Johnny Depp’s $4.5B Disney Role He Refuses to Return to Now /d

Jack Sparrow’s iconic fighting style in Pirates of the Caribbean was inspired by Muhammad Ali.

Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the iconic pirate Captain Jack Sparrow remains unparalleled. No other actor can ever encapsulate the striking personality of the character as good as Depp, and so it was a huge loss for Disney to sever ties with him right after the accusations of abuse involving his ex-wife Amber Heard.

While there is no determined answer as to whether Depp would possibly reprise his role, fans would definitely find it surprising how the actor came up with the very characteristics of Jack Sparrow. After all, they have already become synonymous.

Johnny Depp Took His Jack Sparrow Fighting Style From A Boxing Legend

Watching Pirates of the Caribbean, many would notice the distinct style of fight choreography that Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow uses as well as the other cast members. According to IMDb, both Geoffrey Rush, who played Hector Barbossa, and Depp insisted on having a specific fighting style.

“Depp believes Sparrow to have a Muhammad Ali approach to sword-fighting, keeping his arms down and letting his opponent come to him. Least amount of energy used for the maximum level of results is the character’s general thought on most things.”

It is interesting to note that sports legend Muhammad Ali had an influence on the way Jack Sparrow moves because that is largely what sets him apart from the rest of the characters. His fighting technique is mostly effortless, and he uses his entire surroundings to his advantage rather than exerting one hundred percent physical effort.

Johnny Depp in Dead Man’s Chest

In another interview with Collider, Depp shared how he came up with the whole personality of Jack Sparrow. He remarked that in the original screenplay, Captain Jack was written as a swashbuckler. He was some sort of a pirate who casually swings in, does a little fight, saves the girl, and gets the credit. The actor added his own ideas.

“This sounds weird, but Captain Jack was born in a sauna. My sauna. I was looking at various aspects of the character, and I figured this guy has been on the high seas for the majority of his life and therefore has dealt with inescapable heat to the brain.”

In short, Sparrow’s brain is parboiled, and that’s why he thinks and moves like he does in the movies. When one is exposed to too much heat, he cannot stand still, and yet attempting to move is also difficult.

Will Johnny Depp Make Another Pirates Of The Caribbean Movie?

Fans lost their hopes after Johnny Depp announced that he wouldn’t return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after Disney dropped him mid-air during his intense court battle with Amber Heard.

As the actor rarely comments on the subject, producer of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise Jerry Bruckheimer shared that Depp’s return is still to be decided. At this point, they are developing a rebooted series with Margot Robbie as the lead.

Meanwhile, a former executive feels hopeful that Depp would return, telling People that “Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Captain Jack back on board.” Indeed, there is so much potential for the beloved Disney character to return again to the big screen.