Johnny Depps Pirates booty nearing 350 million

The actor,who is paid a percentage of the movies gross profits after the studio breaks even on its production cost and marketing expenses,is also likely to star in the fifth Pirates movie.

Johnny Depp is close to a deal to star in a fifth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. The development is probably not too surprising since the actor has earned close to 350 million from the Disney franchise,according to sources,making him the highest-paid actor in recent Hollywood history.

Depp is paid a percentage of the movies gross profits after the studio breaks even on its production cost and marketing expenses. The four Pirates films have grossed about 3.7 billion at the worldwide box-office alone. Additionally,the first three have earned hundreds of millions of dollars in DVD,cable TV and other backend revenues.

The fourth film,On Stranger Tides,has just passed the 1 billion mark at the box- office. On its most recent list of top-earning actors,Forbes magazine estimated that Depp made 75 million between June 2009 and June 2010.

Depps agent,Tracey Jacobs at United Talent Agency,declined to comment on her clients earnings or the talks for the fifth film. A spokesman for Walt Disney Studios did not respond to requests for comment. In May,producer Jerry Bruckheimer said he was working on a fifth Pirates script and that he wouldnt make the movie without Depp. The actor is key to the success of the Disney franchise: Without his swashbuckling character,Capt. Jack Sparrow,theres no Pirates.

Depp has been driving huge box-office success for Disney for close to a decade. In addition to Sparrow,he played the Mad Hatter in the studios 2010 Alice In Wonderland,which grossed more than 1 billion worldwide. And hes set to star as Tonto for the studio in next years The Lone Ranger.

His other recent credits include the thriller The Tourist,which co-starred Angelina Jolie. The 100 million film bombed Stateside,grossing just 67.6 million. But Depps strong international appeal helped salvage the movie,which made 210.7 million abroad.

Depp also voice-starred in the computer-animated Rango,which took in 242.6 million worldwide after costing about 135 million to make.