The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been one of the most lucrative of all time for Disney. In the era before the company owned Marvel or Star Wars, it was easily the studio’s biggest live-action franchise. But it’s been seven years since Dead Men Tell No Tales. Will the Jolly Roger flag ever fly again on the big screen? According to series producer Jerry Bruckheimer, it will. Only this time, Pirates of the Caribbean will receive the complete reboot treatment. During an interview with ComicBook, Bruckheimer said “We’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.”
That comment seems to put the final nail in the coffin for any return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Frankly, we probably won’t see Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbosa again either. Or any of the original cast, unless we’re talking cameos. A few years back, reports circulated that Margot Robbie was a possibility to lead a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. However, that was before her star went supernova after the success of Barbie. Although, we’re still not opposed to the idea—especially if she can bring some of that Harley Quinn energy to it.
The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin developed the story for a Pirates reboot alongside the first film’s original screenwriter, Ted Elliot. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Mazin described their new Pirates as “weird.” He said, “We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did! And then we wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened, and everyone’s waiting around.” With the strikes over, it seems only a matter of time before we hear something about this new reboot.
What is unclear is if this reboot will take place in the same continuity as the original films or not. The first five films created a vast pirate mythology, one that got a bit unwieldy. But they might want to keep certain elements of the original films—mainly, the iconic ship, the Black Pearl. Maybe the movie could utilize the pirate ship from the original Disneyland attraction, the Wicked Wench, placing the action there? It will be interesting to see if Pirates can grab hold of audiences without Captain Jack Sparrow, or if another character can fill those iconic boots.