Once upon a time, Johnny Depp was a very successful actor staring in blockbuster movies including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise where he stared as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Then he married actress Amber Heard, and apparently he was a victim of domestic abuse. It all started when Heard wrote an op-ed where she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse, and the timing of it implied that Depp was the abuser. He claims this hurt his career and his reputation, so he took his ex-wife to court. They both ended up revealing details about what their relationship was really like.

Just a month ago, while the court case was still in progress, it seemed as if Depp’s career would never fully recover. Multiple Hollywood insiders claimed that Depp would never have a career like the one he had before. One studio executive claimed, “No A-list movie is going to hire him the way they used to.”

Meanwhile, a top talent agent thought that Depp would only find work in independent and international films. The agent explained that Depp would most likely work “more in the foreign sales model and maybe eventually as a sort of character actor later down the road on a studio film with an auteur director, who can cast whoever they want.”

Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, didn’t plan to hire Depp back for a future film. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said that he thought it was “unlikely” that Depp would return in a future Pirates movie. Instead, he explained that they were considering a different main character, possibly played by Margo Robbie. He told The Sunday Times, “We’re developing two ‘Pirates’ scripts. One with her, one without.”

Was the script without Robbie a script that included Depp’s character? Perhaps. Now that the court case is over and the the jury found largely in favor of Depp, it seems that his career may rebound after all. A former executive at Disney told PEOPLE, “I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture.” The former Disney executive added, “With Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ there is huge appetite for bringing back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises.”

Do you think Depp will return for a future Pirates movie? Do you think his career will recover?