Johnny Depp: Captain Jack Sparrow may be back

TOKYO - Three journeys as Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" may not be enough to quench the thirst of actor Johnny Depp.

Before the Tokyo premiere Wednesday of the series' third installment, Depp said he would consider taking the oddball character out for one more spin.

"It's been a great experience," Depp said. "Trying to discover who Captain Jack was, getting slapped around by the Disney people — it was all fun."

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was to premiere Wednesday and open in theaters across the United States and elsewhere on May 24.

Depp stars as the eclectic and mascara-fancying pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, who is rescued at the beginning of the movie from Davy Jones' Locker, where he wound up last year at the end of "Dead Man's Chest," to begin a journey that takes the Black Pearl and its crew to, well, the end of the world.

It's not an easy story to follow.

Will Turner ( Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann ( Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa ( Geoffrey Rush) must rescue Jack and round up the Nine Lords of the Brethren Court to stop the Machiavellian Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), head of the East India Co., from ridding the world of pirates.

Will also wants to free his father, Bootstrap Bill ( Stellan Skarsgard, still covered in barnacles), from the ghost ship the Flying Dutchman, which Beckett controls. At the same time, Davy Jones ( Bill Nighy, still covered in tentacles) wants to get his heart back, which is trapped inside a chest, which Beckett's goons control. And Will and Elizabeth must win each other's hearts back after various romantic stops and starts.

The film completes what had originally been intended as a trilogy of movies based on the ride by the same name at Disneyland.

Depp, who was nominated for an Oscar for his quirky portrayal of Captain Jack, said the pirates may rise again.

"There was always that potential that each of us would have to say goodbye to the character," Depp said. "But if it is over, which one never knows, Captain Jack will always be with me."

Even so, producer Jerry Bruckheimer cautioned that no one will be jumping right back into the waters.

"This is the end for now," he said. "I think everybody is exhausted and needs some time off. We're all going to take a little break."