Is "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp looking for buried treasure on Seattle's nightclub scene?

Specifically, is he interested in buying the Crocodile Cafe?

Jack Sparrow is no Captain Hook, but he might be chasing a Crocodile.

Several Seattle blog sites have been circulating a rumor that Depp plans to buy the Croc, which abruptly closed in December.

"It's going around the streets of Seattle like wildfire that Johnny Depp is going to buy the old Crocodile Cafe and make it much, much cooler (and hotter) than it ever was before," read a posting on Seattle-based Culture Mob.

Sound far-fetched? It probably is.

Laura Miller, the agent representing the Crocodile, reacted to the Depp rumor with surprise.

"Well, that sounds exciting," she said Monday. "I'm not aware of that."

Miller was tight-lipped when pressed. The Crocodile's owner, Stephanie Dorgan, has instructed her not to say much to the media about the storied Seattle nightclub.

"What I can say is that I've not spoken to (Depp), and I'm not aware of (a sale) being a possibility."

If Depp were to buy the Crocodile, it wouldn't be the first time a celebrity bought at stake in a Seattle club. Actor John Corbett ("Northern Exposure," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding") was once a co-owner of the Fenix Underground and occasionally bartended on Wednesday nights.

Perhaps helping to fuel the rumor, posted on several Seattle blog sites, is that Depp recently sold his share of the Viper Room, the Hollywood nightclub where his friend, actor River Phoenix collapsed and died in 1993.

But it's the Viper Room's new owner, Pink Taco founder Harry Morton (whose father, Peter Morton, founded the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino), who hopes to open Viper Rooms in other cities, the Los Angeles Times has reported. Could the Crocodile be among them? Again, it's a stretch.

Depp, who lives in France with French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, owns a vineyard north of Saint-Tropez. Depp also owns a Paris restaurant and bar with Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall.

According to the Washington State Liquor Control Board, there are no pending liquor license applications for the Crocodile. In March, Groupee Venues Inc., a privately held, Seattle-based Internet software company, withdrew its application for a "spirits, beer and wine restaurant and lounge license" at the site.

Seattle clubgoers continue to obsess over the fate of the Crocodile, where such famous bands as R.E.M., Nirvana, Hole, the Beastie Boys and many others performed.

"I think it had a nice long run," drummer Jason Finn of the Presidents of the United States of America said in March, adding, "There are plenty of places to play. No one there was really happy as far as I could tell. My friends who worked there forever had kind of this haunted look."

In another twist, the Crocodile is among the Seattle clubs that would likely need a costly fire-sprinkler system if it were to continue to operate as a nightclub in its current configuration. Washington State clubs have until December 2009 to install fire-suppression systems. Check out our original story on the subject from 2006.