While the wind was taken out of the franchise’s sails with each subsequent instalment, the Pirates of the Caribbean series remains one of Disney’s most successful properties.
Based on one of Disneyland’s most iconic theme park rides, 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl remains a beloved fan favourite. Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End, On Stranger Tides, and Dead Men Tell No Tales, however, didn’t receive anywhere near as positive a response.
Much of the credit for Pirates of the Caribbean’s success goes to Johnny Depp’s charismatic Captain Jack Sparrow. However, Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic violence and a series of messy court battles led to Disney scrapping plans for a sixth movie.
Depp is now mounting something of a comeback, but last we heard, the studio had gone back to the drawing board with the franchise. There have long been rumblings about Margot Robbie leading a reboot. Ayo Edebiri, Austin Butler, and Hailee Steinfeld, meanwhile, are among the names you’ll have also seen floating around online over the past year or two.
The latest update comes our way from The InSneider (via SFFGazette.com). According to the site, 1917 scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns—who also teamed with Taika Waititi on his unmade Star Wars movie—is in talks to write the script for a movie that’s just become a priority for Disney’s new leadership.
There’s currently no word on whether Depp will be part of the project, but the idea is to focus on the son of Jack Sparrow and, potentially, Robbie’s character. That has to open the door to Depp making an appearance of some sort; whether it happens is another matter.
During a recent interview with ScreenRant, Gore Verbinski, who helmed three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the filmmaker explained why he has no interest in returning to the franchise.
“I wish them the best. I just don’t have anything. I feel like I did three and, for me, it was a great opportunity to learn and to try something. I think we have to be at a place where the wheels are about to fall off,” he noted. “I think once you kind of know how to do something, it becomes less interesting or less dangerous. There’s just so little time and there are so many stories to tell.”
The original series followed the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), with Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally).
The franchise kicked off in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a movie that grossed $654 million worldwide. After the first instalment’s success, Disney forged ahead with two sequels, including 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End in 2007. In 2011, we got On Stranger Tides, though Dead Men Tell No Tales ended things on something of a bum note in 2017.
Keep checking back here for updates on the next instalment as they come in.