Johnny Depp says he “owes” his fans as he returns with his first major studio movie since 2018.

In 2018, Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard wrote an op-ed for in which she alleged she was domestically abused by the actor. Two years later, Depp lost a libel case in the UK against for referring to him as a “wife beater” in their reporting. The situation led to Depp being dropped from the franchise, and the actor has not appeared in a big-budget studio film since.

In 2022, Johnny Depp won a defamation case against Heard, awarding him $10million in compensatory damages and $5million in punitive damages. The jury found that Heard’s statements about her marriage were “false” and that she acted with “actual malice”.

On Monday (November 9) Depp appeared in London for the premiere of , which is in UK cinemas from November 13. Director Ti West’s new take of Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol sees Depp take on the role of Ebenzer Scrooge with Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint and Daisy Ridley also starring.

Speaking to , Depp said there was “no way” for him to explain what being back in the spotlight meant to him. “The welcome that I’ve received – there’s no explanation. And it’s deep. These are the people who’ve supported me through thick and thin and I owe them, I owe them. They’re my bosses.”

Depp has also teased a return to Disney’s franchise. “The only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note,” he told .

It comes after producer Jerry Bruckheimer said the star could return as Captain Jack Sparrow. “I’ll go to work with Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything,” Depp said. “Doesn’t matter [what it is]. If it’s Jerry, I trust him. We have [a] deep friendship.”