A petition to reinstate Johnny Depp as beloved pirate Captain Jack Sparrow is gaining signatures.
The Change.org appeal has racked up over 428,000 signatures and counting, with more and more people signing it amid the star's ongoing trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
In fact, it's one of the most signed petitions on the site.
Since last month, Depp and Heard have been battling it out in a $50 million defamation lawsuit, in which he is suing her over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed where she claimed to be a survivor of domestic abuse. Depp alleges that the piece ruined his reputation and his career, saying that he was dropped from several big-budget franchises in the aftermath of its publication.
One of those projects was the sixth installment of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series. Depp played the starring role in all five previous Pirates movies and was even involved in writing the script for the upcoming movie. However, after Heard's allegations of domestic abuse, the actor was dropped from the project and the film stalled in pre-production.
During his testimony, Depp made it clear that even if Disney tried to coax him back, he would never return to the franchise. He said that if they offered him "$300 million and a million alpacas," he wouldn't work with them again.
Depp explained that he felt betrayed by the studio, saying: "Having added much of myself, much of my own rewriting, the dialogue, the scenes, the jokes, I didn't quite understand how after that long relationship and quite a successful relationship with Disney that… suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent."
But that hasn't stopped Pirates fans from rallying behind a Change.org petition addressed to Disney, pleading them to bring back Depp's iconic role.
"Johnny Depp deserves to continue his role as Sparrow. I believe that removing him was a mistake on your end," the petition - entitled 'Justice for Johnny' - reads.
The petition goes on to argue that it isn't fair that Heard - who Depp has also accused of domestic abuse - should be able to continue in her career unhindered while he is punished.
"If men get ridiculed for hitting women, and lose their jobs/career, then that’s exactly what should be happening to Amber Heard. She is currently working on the 2nd Aquaman and she should have been dropped from that movie and everything else she is working on," it reads.
Fans of Depp are signing the petition in droves, with many stating their reasons for doing so.
Meanwhile, a petition to have Heard removed from the upcoming Aquaman sequel is gaining even greater traction. So far, the appeal has racked up over 3.5 million signatures.
