Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the first Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki blog post of 2025! I hope everyone is having a fantastic and piratical year so far, whether they be fans of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, or Marvel. For Star Wars fans, there has been some pirate-y goodness with the Disney+ series Skeleton Crew, which did feature one or two Pirates references, that aired in late 2024 with the finale airing in early 2025. In addition, Star Wars fans are waiting in anticipation for Andor Season 2, which will feature the return of Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael, though the return of Anton Lesser's Major Partagaz is (for now) unconfirmed, and Christopher Fairbank's Ulaf is...well, spoiler alert. While there were no pirates on the Marvel side, Disney/Marvel recently released Captain America: Brave New World, the latest in the MCU's Phase 5 lineup and the first major release of 2025 with some...divisiveness of public opinion, shall we say, to put it more simply. Okay, now I'm getting way off-topic here.
Anywho, we're two months into the new year and I figured I'd share one or two notable pieces of news relating to the Pirates franchise. At least to hold us all over until whatever movie news comes our way, OR the more certain grand opening of the Pirates tavern, which has been confirmed to open at the Magic Kingdom sometime this year. Guess which one I'm excited for?
Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom[]
I may be cheating here, as this covers news from last year, but this may still be noteworthy here and now.
As covered by websites like Entertainment Weekly and People, following a story from a November interview with The Times, Orlando Bloom (Will Turner) reacts to recent comments made by Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann). For those that don't know, while promoting her Netflix series Black Doves last year, Ms. Knightley expressed mixed feelings about her experience with the Pirates franchise. Taking a section from The Times:
- "It's a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time. I was seen as sh*t because of them, and yet because they did so well I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for. They were the most successful films I'll ever be a part of and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they're a very confused place in my head." She rules out appearing in a franchise again: "The hours are insane. It's years of your life, you have no control over where you're filming, how long you're filming, what you're filming."
Recently, Mr. Bloom weighed in on the recent comments:
- "It was such a huge moment in time that is almost like... it feels almost like another lifetime now. But it certainly was unique and, you know, I'm always grateful. But I definitely understand where Keira was coming from, and she does wonderful things... I have a lot of positive takeaways."
Everyone has their personal opinion on the subject, but what can be agreed on is that the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, and At World's End) is beloved, though the fourth and fifth standalone sequels (On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales/Salazar's Revenge) received mixed-to-negative responses. In my controversial opinion, I've made it no secret that I was content as a cucumber that the franchise continued on without them, mainly due my belief that At World's End was a fitting conclusion for Will and Elizabeth's storyline, as well as Bloom and Knightley having reportedly declined involvement multiple times before the theatrical release of On Stranger Tides. Dead Men Tell No Tales...well, the overall quality of the film is debatable, depending on who you ask, but I think most agree that their reunion was one of the better onscreen moments. At any rate, it is unclear whether or not Will's dream from the fifth film's post-credit scene becomes something of a reality, or something that may only be accessed through our dreams. And there is still the trivial matter of who is (Bloom) and who isn't (Knightley) interested in returning, but that is another debacle to debate on for another time.
Ozzy Osbourne[]
Now for what I think is the more interesting piece of news. As covered by Entertainment Weekly, People, and Billboard, Sharon Osbourne revealed her husband Ozzy Osbourne was asked to audition for Pirates of the Caribbean. This news comes from Sharon's appearance with Billy Corgan on the February 19 episode of The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan, which you can watch below around the 54:00 mark:
- Sharon Osbourne: "Do you want to know the biggest mistake I ever made with Ozzy? [...] He got offered to go and read for Pirates of the Caribbean. And I’ve never said this to anyone.
- Billy Corgan: "And you said no."
- Sharon: "I said no. Now wouldn't he have been perfect?"
- Corgan: "He would have been perfect!"
- Sharon: "I know."
- Corgan: "Maybe it's not too late, but...
- Sharon: "Eh..." [waves her hand, brushing off]
- Corgan: "God bless. But...that's funny. God, it's interesting to think of him in that thing."
- Sharon: "Yeah, yeah. Because when Johnny [Depp] wanted Keith [Richards] to be a pirate, you remember?"
- Corgan: "Yeah, of course, yeah. I love that."
While it remains unclear which character Ozzy Osbourne was being considered for ("A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew, twice removed" maybe?), the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has a history of casting rock legends, from movies to theme park promotions.
Captain Teague
Second Pirate in Command
Uncle Jack
Johnny Depp called pirates "the rock and roll stars of that era" and cited Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones as an inspiration and model for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, which in turn made Richards the ideal choice to play Captain Teague, the Pirate Lord of Madagascar, Keeper of the Code, as well as Jack Sparrow's father in special appearances in At World's End and On Stranger Tides. In April 2010, it was reported that Depp wanted to get Mick Jagger in On Stranger Tides with Richards as pirate elders, which ultimately didn't happen onscreen. By August 2010, Patti Smith met with Johnny Depp while visiting one of the sets for On Stranger Tides before joining Depp's Sparrow as the "Second Pirate in Command" in the Disney Dream Portrait Series. Paul McCartney of The Beatles appeared as Uncle Jack, named after McCartney's own uncle John "Jack" McCartney as well as the in-universe namesake of Jack Sparrow, due to Keith Richards being unavailable for a role Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Despite not joining the Pirates film franchise, Ozzy Osbourne remained active in movies, television, and music despite ongoing health struggles. He revealed in July 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and retired from touring in February 2023. Black Sabbath, Osbourne's longtime band, announced this month that the original members will reunite onstage for the first time in 20 years for Ozzy's final concert on July 5 at Villa Park in Ozzy's native Birmingham, England.
Captain Jack Sparrow & The Siren Queen[]
I happened to bump into Disney Parks Blog post from February 17, which is pretty big Pirates-related news that I admit to have missed, but better late than never. Here's the story:
- Yo ho! Live a Pirate's Life
- Join Captain Jack Sparrow and his band of pirates as they battle with an ink-squirting giant squid and hunt for a rare, dazzling treasure during "Captain Jack Sparrow & The Siren Queen." This all-new show coming to the Disney Imagination Garden stage will have swashbucklers of all ages singing a hearty "Yo ho!" as you’re recruited for a thrilling journey with the sea's most charming, yet roguish, captain and his pirate crew.
- The Disney Adventure is getting ready to set sail later this year and we can’t wait to share more updates with you right here on the Disney Parks Blog.
ETA: And apparently this has been announced since October 2024. "That's very interesting."
Personal commentary[]
Among other news, there is still no word on the status on the potential sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, other than what has been covered (more than once) last year, among other projects. On that note, I've made a New Year's resolution to not make as many posts to avoid cluttering POTC Wiki blogs with what I call "non-updates" from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Because regardless on if/when there is another Pirates film, or that the franchise does have a direction beyond what Disney can do (sometimes unnecessarily) for their theme parks, I think most fans can agree that the "non-updates" and not knowing what information will be true in the next year are getting old and very tiring. I might make a blog similar to my old "Sequel News Rundown" (see here) so that maybe the news will be easier to follow, and easier to debunk once proven. In an ideal world, such posts will be made once or twice a year at most...but knowing our luck, it may be once month something crazy will pop up. One can only hope.
To close with my occasional queries, what do you think? Do you agree with Keira Knightley's comments and Orlando Bloom's response? What about the "biggest mistake" to not have Ozzy Osbourne audition for a role in the Pirates franchise? Please comment below!