Actor Johnny Depp, whose defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard is now in the hands of a jury, could be making a comeback soon, if social media rumors prove true.
The seeds of the rumors were found in online searches that linked Depp’s name with the upcoming film “Beetlejuice 2,” according to KXLY-TV.
The original 1998 film directed by Tim Burton concerned a dead married couple who return as ghosts to haunt a family they do not like with the hope of forcing the family to leave their former home. The sequel is supposed to air in 2025.
No official word has been issued linking Depp with the movie.
Right I am seeing tweets that #JohnnyDepp will be in #Beetlejuice2 can someone confirm is there going to be another #Beetlejuice dear lord J would LOVE THAT. Winona & Michael K ahhh Beetlejuice 2 would be awesoms if true ? xxx
— ? SMBSLT ? (@smbslt) May 25, 2022
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Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder are also on the list of names linked to the proposed sequel.
Ryder, who starred alongside Depp in “Edward Scissorhands,” has said she wants the film to be shot.
“I’m in! I’m definitely excited, and I’m really hopeful that it’ll happen,” she said.
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“The only way we would do it is if everything was perfect and we had all the people — obviously Michael and obviously Tim,” she said. Depp has made eight movies with Burton.
For now, Depp’s future hinges on the results of a trial that has been filled with accusations of misconduct from Depp and Heard, as well as efforts by each to refute the damaging allegations, according to NPR.
Heard “ruined his life by falsely telling the world she was a survivor of domestic abuse at the hands of Mr. Depp,” Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez said last week in closing arguments.
Heard’s lawyers say Depp is the vindictive one.
“In Mr. Depp’s world, you don’t leave Mr. Depp,” said J. Benjamin Rottenborn, Heard’s lawyer. “If you do, he will start a campaign of global humiliation against you.”
Depp’s lawyers said the case is about Depp’s future, not his past.
“This case for Mr. Depp has never been about money,” Depp lawyer Benjamin Chew said. “It is about Mr. Depp’s reputation and freeing him from the prison in which he has lived for the last six years.”
Entertainment agent Darryl Marshak said Depp’s “unbelievable talent” will help him make a comeback, according to CNN.
“Hollywood is also forgiving, and as it moves forward and this thing stops airing and Johnny is able to move fluidly back into the business, I think he’ll reemerge again,” he said.
“Hollywood is a fickle place.”
Juda Engelmayer, who has represented celebrities, said that Depp’s performance at the trial has helped his image.
“His testimony, whether true or an act, has caused a resurgence of fans who missed him,” he said. “For his reputation and career, studios see he still has a fan base.”
