- Captain Hector Barbossa
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most successful franchises of all time with Captain Jack Sparrow, who has become as iconic to Pirates as Mickey Mouse is to Disney. Sparrow was portrayed by Johnny Depp in five featured films, one video game, theme park attractions (including the original), as well as many public appearances. Despite this, it seemed unlikely in the last few years that Mr. Depp would ever again reprise the role, notably due to what was revealed in Depp v. Heard in 2022. And while conversations about a sixth movie have been around since P5: Dead Men Tell No Tales/Salazar's Revenge came out, the term "reboot" has also been used. With this year 2024 alone, we've had one video interview with former writer/producer Terry Rossio's "controversial opinion" here, a comment or two from producer Jerry Bruckheimer about the future of Pirates here and there, as well as one semi-shameless April Fool's joke. And of course there have been updates beyond, or "non-answers" as I like to call them, beyond the links I've shared, but let's focus on the latest news.
If recent reports are to be believed, Depp's return to Pirates is still in the cards, according to an article at Variety titled "Disney's Success After 'Moana 2' in Trouble as 'Snow White' Looms" or "Disney Got Its Groove Back With 'Moana 2,' but Troubled 'Snow White' Could Halt the Momentum", whichever floats one's boat. But we are here to talk about Pirates, not Moana 2, the live-action Snow White film, or the last Disney film of 2024, Mufasa: The Lion King. Here is what the article says:
- Meanwhile, the live-action division headed up by David Greenbaum will continue to mine some of the most valuable IP in Hollywood. All eyes are trained on the $4.53 billion "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and the prospect of another sequel.
- Sources say the studio has not engaged with Johnny Depp, the franchise's biggest draw, who found himself exiled by Disney after ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of domestic abuse. But Depp prevailed in a 2022 defamation case against the actress and has been on the comeback trail.
- "Pirates" producer Jerry Bruckheimer is developing two versions of the script on parallel tracks, one that could bring Depp back into the fold if the actor and Disney can reconcile.
- "Nothing has been ruled out," says one knowledgeable source.
So...basically where we've been for the last few years or so. Okay. But let's say you're still new to Pirates news.
Again, if Variety's sources are to be believed, this means there are two scripts: one with Depp's Sparrow in mind, and one without. "Nothing has been ruled out" is a more interesting quotation, hinting that Depp may return, but the fact the studio hasn't reached out to Depp isn't too surprising either. Although the term "reboot" has been used quite often in the last year alone, I do think Disney put themselves in a corner with certain decisions made, even before the Depp v. Heard business, but that is another discussion for another time. Among other creatives, most notably Margot Robbie's "female-led" film, there was at least one script with Ted Elliott co-writing with Craig Mazin, with Mazin having said Disney "approved" their script. After that, Elliott moved to National Treasure 3 while Pirates was given to Jeff Nathanson, who wrote P5: Salazar's Revenge and the aforementioned Mufasa film. It is unclear as to whether or not Nathanson is the current writer or has any involvement, but regardless, it is very likely the current drafts are much separate from Elliott/Mazin's "approved" draft.
Focusing on the potential sixth or so-called "reboot" overall, I'm undecided. As I said, Jack Sparrow has become as iconic to Pirates as Mickey Mouse is to Disney, and so I would be happy if Depp was confirmed to return. However, it's not enough to just bring Jack Sparrow back, or not, but the fact of the matter is that they need to focus on getting their storytelling right, and right now I feel like any future film will suffer continuity issues that make P5 seem like insignificant errors. And if returning characters are needed beyond Depp, presuming this is indeed a proper sixth film and sequel, there are others to call other than Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley...looking at you, Kevin R. McNally, Martin Klebba, Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook! But until we know for sure, I am optimistically cautious.
What are your thoughts on the latest news? Please comment below!