The star was reportedly fired by Disney from a sixth instalment in the hit swashbuckling franchise following abuse allegations made by his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Rumors later swirled that the star was offered a staggering $301 million (£243 million) paycheque to return with an “apology letter” attached. However, Disney later said these claims were “made up”.

Now, with production still yet to get underway on Pirates 6, Johnny has coincidentally made an appearance at Pinewood, where parts of the fourth outing were filmed, carrying a pirate book.

It’s unclear exactly what the book is about, and it’s possible it could just be a notebook.

Even so, it’s obvious Johnny still has pirates on the brain after leaving the iconic franchise after the fifth film, Salazar’s Revenge.

Both Johnny and his co-star Orlando Bloom, per Parade, have expressed interest in returning, although Keira Knightley was less enthusiastic about reprising her role as Elizabeth Swann in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has also remained open to bringing back Johnny as Captain Jack, again per ET.

As of this year, though, the sixth Pirates film is set to be a reboot with a brand new, younger cast of characters.

Express.co.uk has approached Disney and Johnny Depp’s representatives for comment.