McAfee & Taft entertainment attorney Jay Shanker was interviewed by E! Online on whether stars who usually go after edgy and versatile roles, like Johnny Depp, get tied down to franchise roles, like Depp's Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, and ultimately lose ideal roles in lieu of it.
"Most contracts for franchise work won't tie up an actor for more than two or three installments, at first. After that, an actor may get signed on to one or two more sequels, but it's unlikely that Depp, at the top of the A-list, is contractually obligated to keep lurching around, leering at Penelope Cruz," Shanker explained to E! Online.
Fans assume polished actors like Depp would not take a role just for the money but it seems that is not necessarily the case. According to E! Online there is never such a thing as too much money especially when actors like Depp enjoy their franchise roles.
"He gets to put on a pirate suit and be himself, and he is making a huge piece of the grosses on these films," said Shanker. "I think that's the bottom line."
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