Johnny Depp has been playing wizards, murderous barbers, pirates and chocolate factory owners/Michael Jacksons for years now, in roles that require such elaborate costuming and makeup that we barely realize it's Johnny Depp (which I guess could be considered a good thing). In other words, it's been a long time since Chocolat.
But Depp still holds on. He's been appearing regularly in huge movies while staying out of his former leading man spotlight, going more and more towards the ageing rockstar a-la-Keith Richards look (a lot of bracelets, hats, shirts with floppy sleeves) that was likely influenced by his most iconic role: Captain Jack Sparrow, a role that he will not reprise.
Although Depp's public persona is now, to an extent, inseparable from Jack Sparrow, the people at Disney are ready to move on and leave with him with his outfits. The new reboot of the series, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who also wrote Deadpool, will proceed Depp-less because, as Disney's film production chief Sean Bailey put it to The Hollywood Reporter, "we want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that's what I've tasked them with." RIP Captain Jack.
