Who is Ayo Edebiri, Depp’s rumoured replacement in Pirates of the Caribbean?

Thanks in no small part to a repost by X owner Elon Musk, a rumour has spread on social media that Ayo Edebiri is being lined up to replace Johnny Depp in the next instalment of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.

Musk fuels Edebiri-for-Depp talk

On Wednesday, Musk shared an X post by the account “Unlimited L’s”, which read: “Disney is reportedly considering Ayo Edebiri for the leading role in ‘Pirates 6,’ a film that would feature a younger cast of pirates in search of hidden treasure.” In his repost, Musk added: “Disney sucks”.

Insider clears up Edebiri rumours

However, there appears to be limited merit to claims that Edebiri is to take Depp’s place. Pop culture journalist Daniel Richtman, whose recent inside info on the next Pirates movie appears to be the source used by Unlimited L’s, has clarified that Edebiri is only in contention for a Pirates spin-off movie. Moreover, he says Disney is not specifically targeting her as things stand.

“There’s no ‘Replacing Depp’ or anything like that,” Richtman wrote on X, in response to the Unlimited L’s post. “She’s only the ‘Type’ they’re looking at for the lead in one of the planned spinoffs.”

Depp not keen on Pirates of the Caribbean return

Depp, who appeared as Captain Jack Sparrow in the five previous instalments of the Pirates franchise, has said he has no plans to return to the role.

During the defamation lawsuit he brought against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022, the 60-year-old said he would never be persuaded back by Disney, who dropped him from the franchise after Heard alleged he had subjected her to domestic violence.

While on the stand at Fairfax County Court in Virginia, Depp was asked: “If Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film?” He replied: “That is true.”

Depp won his suit against Heard, having accused the Aquaman star of defamation over a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post, in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.

Who is Ayo Edebiri?

A Boston native, Edebiri is best known for playing Sydney Adamu in the hit comedy-drama series The Bear.

Her performance on the FX show has earned her major awards recognition. In 2023, she won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; and in January this year, she scooped the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Television Series.

On the big screen, Edebiri bagged two major recent roles as a voice actor, featuring in the 2023 animated superhero films Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

One of the voices on the animated TV series Big Mouth, Edebiri also writes for the sitcom, and for the comedy-horror mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows.

This month, the 28-year-old hosted the late-night comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live for the first time. She choked up in an emotional opening monologue, telling audience members: “SNL means so much to me. This really is a dream come true.”