“Gay” Captain Jack Written for Jackman

One of the Pirates of the Caribbean screenplay writers says that the Captain Jack Sparrow role played by Johnny Depp, and apparently too "gay" for Disney, was originally written for Hugh Jackman.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian writer-director Stuart Beattie told Fox News that he wrote the part with Jackman in mind, thus explaining the character's name, but that Disney passed on the actor, who was relatively unknown in the United States at the time, in favor of Depp.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Depp said that a Disney executive, possibly Michael Eisner, loathed his flamboyant portrayal of the pirate, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and wondered whether the character was "gay."

As for Beattie, he said it took years to convince Disney of the potential for the four-film franchise, the Morning Herald reported.

"I spent ten years pitching it (to) Disney and they weren't interested," he said. "Then finally, I got a call to come back in," he says.