Depp: "This doesn't look terribly good, does it?"

Johnny Depp has said that he is unsure whether to go ahead with the forthcoming fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after the sudden departure of Disney head Dick Cook.

However, Depp called into the LA Times over the weekend to voice his fears that, because of the departure of Walt Disney Studios chief executive Dick Cook, the sequel may not be going ahead.

The actor said he was “shocked” and “very sad” to hear of Cook’s departure, adding: “”There’s a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment… It was all born in that office.”

The other two lead actors in the Pirates franchise, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, recently confirmed that they wouldn’t be starring in the sequel. So the whole thing looks set to collapse if the only remaining audience-puller, Depp, doesn’t commit.

Should Disney insist on a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean or leave well alone? Would it work without Depp? Will he really quit? So many questions, so little time.