Johnny Depp has celebrated the launch of his new rum brand with a star-studded party in Los Angeles, and made clear that the rum is for people who love Captain Jack Sparrow.

The 62-year-old actor and musician hosted an intimate tasting event at The Ebell Theater on Tuesday, 31 March, alongside business partner Bobby DeLeon to mark the arrival of Three Hearts Rum. 

Speaking to PEOPLE at the gathering, Depp explained the name by rolling up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo. 

“Three hearts are easy,” he said. “That’s Vanessa [Paradis], the mother of my children. That’s Lily-Rose [Depp]. That’s Jack [Depp].”

He also confirmed the rum has received the seal of approval from arguably his most famous alter ego. 

Asked whether Captain Jack Sparrow would endorse it, Depp slipped straight into character. “I’m afraid so. He’s in there even now.”

His family’s response has been equally warm, if characteristically low-key. 

“They’ve tried it. We did a little tasting session and everybody was cool and liked it,” he said. “But, you know, at the same time, they’re like, ‘Cool, dad. That’s what you’re doing, go nuts.'”

Depp was also candid about why he chose rum over other spirits, joking that he had absolutely no desire to go up against Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door bourbon. 

Beyond the humour, the brand has a more serious purpose, part of the motivation was to support communities across the Caribbean who regularly face devastation from hurricanes and tropical storms.

Peaky Blinders is back, and it has a new generation of Shelbys at its centre. 

Jamie Bell and Charlie Heaton have been cast as the leads of the new Netflix and BBC series, creator Steven Knight has announced, with filming already underway in Birmingham.

Bell will take on the role of Duke Shelby, the eldest son of Tommy Shelby, the character made iconic by Cillian Murphy across six seasons of the original show and the recent Netflix film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. 

Duke was previously played by Conrad Khan in the final season of the original series and by Barry Keoghan in The Immortal Man. 

A recast had been widely anticipated given that the new series is set a full decade after the events of the film, moving the story into post-war Birmingham in the early 1950s.

Heaton, best known internationally for playing Jonathan Byers across all five seasons of Stranger Things, joins Bell in a leading role, though details of his character have not yet been revealed. 

The show’s announcement hints he may be leading the new generation of the Shelby gang alongside Duke.

Jessica Brown Findlay, Lashana Lynch and Lucy Karczewski, who makes her television debut with the role, have also been cast, though their characters remain under wraps for now.

Knight was clearly energised by the announcement. “I am thrilled that we are announcing a new era of Peaky Blinders, moving the story to post-war Birmingham in the early 50s,” he said. 

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Jamie Bell taking the role of Tommy Shelby’s oldest son, Duke, and to have Charlie Heaton also leading the cast. There are more exciting cast announcements to come, and Peaky is on the road again.”

The official logline sets the scene for what promises to be a darker, more ambitious chapter. 

Duke Shelby is described as “older, wiser, more ambitious, and most certainly more dangerous” as he finds himself at the heart of a brutal contest to rebuild Birmingham in the aftermath of the war.

The announcement comes as The Immortal Man continues to dominate Netflix, sitting at number one globally for two consecutive weeks since its release on 20 March.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles will not be issuing a formal Easter message this year, breaking with last year’s tradition when he spoke on Maundy Thursday. 

Unlike the annual Christmas broadcast, the Easter message is not guaranteed each year, a Palace spokesperson clarified.

Last year, the King reflected on Jesus’ act of humility, saying: “His humble action was a token of His love that knew no bounds or boundaries and is central to Christian belief.” 

The decision not to release an Easter message comes amid heightened attention on the royal family’s faith-related communications. 

In February, Buckingham Palace received praise and some criticism after issuing a “Ramadan Mubarak” greeting on social media, wishing Muslims in the UK and across the Commonwealth a blessed and peaceful Ramadan. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took to Twitter to extend his own seasonal greetings, writing: “As Lent comes to an end and we approach the Easter weekend, I want to send my warmest wishes to the UK and around the world.”