Johnny Depp blocked by Disney to return to Pirates of the Caribbean

Disney has reportedly "blocked" Johnny Depp from returning to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise for a cameo appearance.

The company had been distancing themselves from the actor, 57, even before his "wife beater" libel case in the UK, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The publication also claims that Disney "baulked" at executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer's idea to bring the actor back for a cameo appearance in the female-spin off, which is rumoured to be led by Margot Robbie.

Depp has portrayed the famous character of Captain Jack Sparrow in all five of Pirates of the Caribbean films, from 2006 to 2017.

Bruckheimer, 77, produced all of the films.

Johnny Depp won't be returning to any Pirates of the Caribbean films. Photo / Supplied

According to THR, Bruckheimer has been one of Depp's "biggest champions".

There have even been multiple petitions signed by more than a million fans online that have demanded Depp returns to the movie as Sparrow.

Despite that, Disney has distanced themselves from the actor.

In a wide-ranging piece published last week, it was reported that Depp had tried stop ex-wife Amber Heard from starring in the 2018 action film Aquaman.

The actor allegedly sent a message to his sister Christi Dembrowski, a producer at Warner Bros who had a lot of influence in the film, to remove Heard from the movie, according to THR.

"I want her replaced on the WB film," he allegedly wrote to Dembrowski.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp attend the "Black Mass" premiere during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Photo / Getty Images

That report came out several days after a petition to fire Heard from Aquaman 2 gained huge momentum online, with more than 1.5 million signatures.

Depp fans claim that Heard "systematically crusaded" to ruin his career.

"Since Heard's divorce from Johnny Depp, she has systematically crusaded to ruin Depp in Hollywood," the petition claimed.

While Heard has kept her role in Aquaman, Depp was removed from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise as his role of Grindelwald.

A judge ruled that Depp attacked his ex-wife a dozen times.

Heard addressed the petition to remove her from Aquaman while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, noting: "Paid rumours and paid campaigns on social media don't dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality."

Depp lost his libel case against The Sun after executive editor Dan Wootton called him a "wife beater" in a 2018 article.

Both Depp and Heard have accused each other of multiple cases of domestic abuse throughout their two-year marriage.

They split up in 2017.