The Pirates of the Caribbean series was one of Disney's most successful theatrical properties, setting sail for the first time in 2003 with The Curse of the Black Pearl. That was followed by Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, On Stranger Tides, and Dead Men Tell No Tales, and while the later movies weren't critical darlings, the franchise has grossed over $4.52 billion worldwide.
Based on one of Disneyland's most iconic theme park rides, much of the credit for the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies goes to Johnny Depp, who played the now-iconic Captain Jack Sparrow.
However, his ex-wife Amber Heard's allegations of domestic violence and a series of messy court battles led to Disney scrapping plans for a sixth movie. Now, Depp is mounting something of a comeback, and the response to his recent appearance at San Diego Comic-Con to promote Ebenezer suggests audiences are ready and willing to see the actor back on the big screen.
In an interview with Deadline (via SFFGazette.com), Pirates of the Caribbean franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that, after months, if not years, of speculation, Depp is now in talks to return as the enigmatic Captain Jack.
"We're talking with Johnny [Depp], we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done," he told the trade at D23, with the site reporting that "sources tell us that the continuation won’t feel like just the nth tale of Captain Jack Sparrow."
Instead, "the next chapter will focus on Margot Robbie’s protagonist with Sparrow as a side character. Essentially, an evolution of the franchise."
What that will look like remains to be seen, but with Barbie 2 seemingly going nowhere fast, this could be one of Robbie's next big projects. The spotlight shifting to her as the franchise's new lead is certainly interesting, though we'd bet that Depp will remain a scene-stealer.
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).
As noted, 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.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.