Johnny Depp returns to his hometown in Kentucky and poses for snaps with fans

Johnny Depp made a surprise return to his hometown of Owensboro in Kentucky over the weekend.

The actor, 59, paid a visit to loved ones living in the city and happily posed for snaps with fans.

It comes after it was reported that Johnny, who has been touring with musician Jeff Beck, could make a return to the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise after being dropped from the franchise during his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard.

It’s well-known that Johnny grew up in Owensboro and still has family living in the area, and the actor happily posed for snaps with locals during his visit.

The Hollywood star reportedly asked fans to keep his visit a secret until after he had left the area, according to Fox19Now.

He was the major lead in five Pirates movies over the past 15 years and made what was thought to be his final voyage on the Black Pearl in Dead Men Tell No Tales which was released in 2017. 

But a source told Poptopic that the actor has been in talks with Disney about a ‘$300 million deal’ after winning his defamation trial against Amber Heard. 

The insider revealed that Disney are interested in patching up the relationship with Johnny and have recently reached out to him.

They said: ‘They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another pirate film or two. 

Jovial: The actor was in good spirits as he posed with locals after travelling to the city to visit his family

Hit maker: Johnny has been touring the US with singer Jeff Beck after winning his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard

The source added that another project is in the works for Disney Plus. They said: ‘The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl.’

They continued: ‘What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character.’

The source said that the media house is working on a ‘$301 million deal’ to coax Depp back soon and are also reportedly adding a ‘sizeable donation’ to a charity of Depp’s choice as a gesture of goodwill.

The Edward Scissorhands star previously told the jury he would not work with Disney again after he was scrubbed from the sixth Pirates movie.

Claims: It comes after it was reported that Johnny is set ‘to return’ to Pirates of the Caribbean after being dropped from the franchise in 2018 (pictured at Disney’s D23 in 2015)

His legal team claims Johnny lost out on a $22 million payday after Amber published her Washington Post op-ed in 2018 that didn’t identify Johnny, but clearly branded him as a domestic abuser.

Johnny said he felt as if he was ‘guilty until proven innocent’ with Disney executives.

Original Pirates script writer Stuart Beattie was the first to publicly confirm that Disney Studios were ditching the star in 2018 as they rework the entire franchise.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMailTV at a red carpet event in Hollywood, Beattie confirmed on camera the reboot means Depp is out as Sparrow.

Nodding when it was suggested Depp was out, he said: ‘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.’

Claims: A source said that he has been in talks with Disney about a ‘$300 million deal’ after winning his defamation trial again Amber Heard