You’ll Never Guess Who Almost Played Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Movies!

Captain Jack Sparrow is absolutely iconic, there’s no doubt about that!

©Disney

He is the heart and soul of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, largely due to Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the character. This lead to a large film franchise and him being added into the famous ride at the Disney parks. But, what if someone else had played Jack Sparrow? Well, that almost happened, and you’ll never guess which famous actor turned down the role!

Ready for it? Robert De Niro was originally offered the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, according to Screen Rant. Uh, YEAH. Are you as shocked as we are?! Because WHAT?!

©ScreenRant.com

De Niro turned down the role because he thought the movie (The Curse of the Black Pearl) was going to be a huge flop. Well, jokes on him, because the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have become one of the most successful movie franchises of ALL TIME. The 2nd and 4th movies have each earned over a billion dollars at the box office worldwide — we’re talking Marvel numbers here, people!

©Disney

In a way, we have De Niro to partially thank for the success of the movie(s), because him turning down the role lead to it being offered to Johnny Depp. And honestly, the movie might have been a flop if De Niro had taken the role, because although he is a great actor, we don’t think he would’ve portrayed Jack Sparrow in the same amazingly absurd way! Like…can you picture Jack Sparrow with a New York accent? “Miss Swan — are you talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me?” Yikes!

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But, that’s not the only crazy part of this story. Guess who else was also considered for the role? Christopher Walken and Jim Carrey both declined Jack Sparrow before it was offered to Depp, according to Screen Rant. Carrey couldn’t do it because the shooting schedule interfered with another movie he was filming — Bruce Almighty.

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We don’t know about you, but picturing Walken and his distinct voice as Jack Sparrow is comical — not in a good way — and Carrey as Sparrow would have been…scary. We could see him going way too over-the-top with the character! Really, what was Disney thinking with those choices?!

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Is this blowing your mind?! It’s hard to picture anyone else as Jack Sparrow because Depp’s performance was remarkable. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and he won Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. It has become one of Depp’s most well-known roles, if not THE most well-known role.

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So, we guess we have De Niro’s doubts and Bruce Almighty to thank for the iconic Jack Sparrow. And we are thankful, because having Robert De Niro pop out of a barrel in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World would be…a lot. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney entertainment news and updates!