Pirates 6: Bill Nighy Open To Reprising Davy Jones Role

"So it seems dead men do tell tales, don't they? Ha! Ha! Ha!"
-Davy Jones

Within the last year or so, we've heard word related to the tentatively-titled Pirates of the Caribbean 6. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("We'll have some back") to actor Orlando Bloom ("get the band back together"), among other small-ish pieces of information from headline news. And now, we're hearing from Davy Jones aka "Oi, Fishface!" himself, Bill Nighy.

News[]

Bill Nighy[]

As written by Grant Hermanns at ScreenRant:

Let me make this quite plain, this costumed appearance in At World's End was NOT for a flashback sequence! — Let me make this quite plain, this costumed appearance in *At World's End* was NOT for a flashback sequence!

In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for the new Harlan Coben series Lazarus, Nighy was asked about the possibility of reprising Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The Oscar-nominated star affirmed he "would love to go back" and bring his iconic character to life, revealing there were even once talks to have him continue in the series:

"I did think that there might be [more]. It was mentioned at one point, in fact, when one of the producers said to me, 'How would you like to come back? How would you like to come back without the tentacles?' And I said, 'Well, yeah, that would be great.'"

Nighy went on to reflect on the brief appearance in At World's End's flashback sequence, in which he got to be "the Scottish pirate that I used to be before I became a squid". He went on to praise the Pirates of the Caribbean's wardrobe and makeup department for having "really pulled out all the stops", as he felt he was "always the sad guy in computer pajamas" for Davy Jones' motion capture appearance:

"They really went to town, and they made me the greatest beard and the greatest wig and the greatest costume. It was very satisfying for a while."

For Nighy to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the next film would need to focus on at least Orlando Bloom's Will Turner in some capacity. Having swapped places with Jones by stabbing his cursed heart in the At World's End climax, the most recent movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, saw Will return to Elizabeth after being freed from the Flying Dutchman's curse. However, the post-credits scene indicated that Jones may not only still be alive, but back in his octopus-like form.

Original source

Sam Claflin[]

ETA: Okay, I admit that I found this after Halloween 2025, so it is a bit of a late addition. But better late than never, says I. Sam Claflin, who was Nighy's co-star in Lazarus as well as having previously portrayed Philip Swift in On Stranger Tides alongside his on-screen love interest Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Syrena, was interviewed by host Law Sharma at ComicBook, who also asked about a potential Pirates return.

Law Sharman: "I do need to bring this up, because at ComicBook we're big fans of Philip and Syrena from the Pirates franchise. New Pirates movie coming up, right? I'm just wondering, as a fan, what are the chances we get to revisit those characters and some mer-children in the future?"

Sam Claflin: "Let's beg the producers, because I would love to revisit that world again. I mean, I like I had so... It was my first ever film. I'd done a bit of TV before, but as a film experience, I was so nervous, I was like a deer in headlights, I didn't know what was happening. And you know, what a scale? What a sort of stage to step onto when you don't really know what's going on. And so I took myself and the job so seriously, and it deserved it, in many ways. And Philip is that kind of character. But equally, I look back at that experience and go, 'God, I wish I just had more fun.' Like, I just wish I allowed myself to just sort of enjoy it and relish every single moment. So I would love the opportunity to kind of get back on the pirate ship. I mean, that would be a dream come true for me. But unfortunately it's not in my hands. So, Jerry Bruckheimer, if you're watching this, make it happen."

Of course, like most Pirates characters and actors, it may seem unlikely, but it is still within the realm of possiblity. Spencer Perry's report at ComicBook most accurately noted other returns, like the most famous example of Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa despite his initial death in the first film, but the lesser known example of Damian O'Hare as Gillette, and of course the aforementioned tease off the return of Davy Jones. At the very least, in my opinion, it seems we'll get Sam Claflin before Keira Knightley, who expressed more than enough disinterest in returning as Elizabeth Swann, but I digress.

Original sources:

Personal commentary[]

First, I have to give Ash Crossan credit for being the reporter who covered Bruckheimer and Nighy's interviews this year. However, there are some inaccuracies in the report, specifically the "flashback" which didn't happen in At World's End, though I don't know if it was Crossan or Grant Hermanns, the latter having wrote the article. Still, I must say, I find it very interesting that Nighy may have been contacted at some point...but then, this is another example of an actor expressing interest that may or may not follow through.

Was it a dream? Was it real? Or something more? Something darker?

Story-wise, well, I'm torn. On the one hand, At World's End had a great ending for the character by the battle with Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann, and Will Turner, the latter becoming the new captain of the Flying Dutchman with Jones' death being a final fate in finding peace within the stormy retribution of his spurned lover, Calypso. But on the either hand, we all know the post-credits scene for Dead Men Tell No Tales featured Will, now freed from the Dutchman, having a nightmare about Davy Jones returning from the dead, waking up to find it was just a dream, but the barnacles (pictured) suggest that it wasn't...? To this day, it remains a question whether or not Will's dream-but-not was anything more than a "barnacle-y wet dream" as I call it, though I have my own theories (ghosts, hallucinations, etc) that I would hope the filmmakers take advantage of within the established universe. Of course, this is presuming that the film in development is indeed a continuation of this scene; despite the possibility, forgive me if I have my doubts that this will be the potential film's storyline. Unfortunately, with what little we know, it could be anything at this point.

But if I'm to be honest here, I am a tiny bit more interested in the recent news about the Harry Potter audiobooks cast. Recently, Keira Knightley was reportedly cast as the voice of Dolores Umbridge, while Nighy (previously Rufus Scrimgeour) is now Horace Slughorn. I'm not too familiar with the original book lore over the movies, but unfortunately these two may not share a scene.

This is an interesting subject that may better be served for a potential "Sequel News Rundown" or whatever kind of post I'll no doubt make in the future. Until then, what do you think, Pirates fans? Please comment below!

And if by chance it is not spoken within the next week...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!