Dick Cook, former head of Disney, to return to making movies? Maybe so!

Here’s some great news for everyone who loves good movies: Dick Cook, the beloved former head of Walt Disney Pictures and the man who brought us Captain Jack Sparrow, may be returning to the movie business. “Bloomberg is reporting that Cook is looking to raise $625 million in equity financing to make and distribute family-oriented films, according to a banker with knowledge of the matter,” reports Deadline.com. He is rumored to be looking for investment from “private equity, hedge funds and wealthy individuals.”

Mr. Cook was abruptly dismissed from Disney in September 2009, after seven years as the head of the studio and 38 years with the company. At the time, Johnny Depp told the Los Angeles Times that the move left him “shocked and very sad,” that Mr. Cook was “the utmost gentleman” and “the sweetest man on the planet,” and that Johnny had agreed to appear in the original Pirates of the Caribbean after a conversation in Cook’s office. “He said, ‘We’re thinking about doing this Pirates of the Caribbean movie. [. . .] I said I was in. This was before there was a script or anything.”

According to Johnny, he made that commitment because he trusted Mr. Cook. “He’s instantly trustworthy. And you generally don’t meet people at the studios you trust. [. . .] He’s a rare beast.” It would be wonderful to have Mr. Cook making movies again; we wish him good luck getting his new venture launched.

The Zone thanks FAntasticJD for sharing the news; you can read more about the story on the Zone’s Porch General Discussion forum.

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