There was a bit of a shake up in the ranks at Disney on Friday that may cause Jack Sparrow himself, Mr. Johnny Depp to jump overboard and leave them without a Captain to man their revenue generating ship.

Disney announced that long-time Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook was stepping down effective immediately after 38 years with the organization, a move reportedly prompted by a rough financial year.

Cook released a statement through the studio where he seems to imply he left on his own, Disney CEO Bob Iger had publicly expressed his disappointments in Cook and the recent performance of the studio back in May during a conference call with media reps. So, many people are seeing this reversal as more of a layoff than a willing departure.

Whatever the real reason is for his exit, Cook was highly throughout the industry, which actor Johnny Depp reminded the organization when talking to the folks of the Los Angeles Times, upon learning the news from Cook himself.

“He’s instantly trustworthy. And you generally don’t meet people at the studios you trust. He’s a rare beast,” Depp said, remembering that all but Cook were disapproving of his plan to portray Jack Sparrow in a very un-Disney manner.

Cook was also the one who convinced Depp to join the fourth Pirates film, and even though the actor seems to have a “potential” deal in place, pending script approval, he has yet to sign a contract.

And now, according to Depp:

“There’s a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment,” Depp expressed. “It was all born in that office.”

[RANT]

So, have we seen the last of Captain Jack? If it were some other actor, I might presume this was a negotiating tactic – however with Depp, I really believe he may be having misgivings about the now ‘dark cloud’ environment created at Disney due to the absence of someone who made him feel at home there. I guess only time will tell.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.