Which is bigger: Depp or Disney?

Dick Cook, former chairman of the uber-company and friend to actor Johnny Depp, recently left the company and left the fate of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise up in the air. Depp stated that he may discontinue his piracy if Cook is no longer at the helm of the ship.

But here’s the really shocking part: Disney plans to forge ahead without him. Depp is signed up to do On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the franchise, but two more movies are planned after this.

So…is there any way the movies could possibly work without Captain Jack Sparrow? Disney’s pretty big…but it’s doubtful the company has the chops to make Pirates work without Depp in the lead.