Earlier in the year, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that two new scripts were being written for the franchise. Bruckheimer told EW: “It’s two different movies. We hope to get ’em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot [Robbie] one, too.”
What’s being rumored is that one film is a reboot with a new cast, and the other will be a female-centric film, with connections to the previous movies, and Margot Robbie starring in the lead role. The glaring question that needs to be asked: Is Johnny Depp returning as Jack Sparrow?
Variety is now reporting that "nothing has been ruled out" regarding Disney bringing Depp back for more ‘Pirates.’ Disney has not engaged with Depp yet, but one script in development could bring him back if he can reconcile with the studio.
This is surprising news given that Disney has tried to steer far away from Depp in recent years, and the actor himself hasn’t shown much interest in returning as Captain Jack Sparrow, especially after the mouse house canned him.
If you remember, Disney fired Depp from the franchise shortly after Amber Heard’s Washington Post op-ed which accused him of spousal abuse. Depp vowed to never work with Disney again after that.
Bruckheimer seems to be the person spearheading Depp’s return. They’re good friends and Bruckheimer has always defended the actor. Last year, he told AP Entertainment that he was “working on” a potential Depp return to the franchise and a screenplay was being written for it.
One of the two projects being worked on is most likely the one originally written by “The Last of Us” creator Craig Mazin and original ‘Pirates’ scribe Ted Elliot, and later rewritten by Jeff Nathanson (“The Young Woman and the Sea”).
Did we need ‘Pirates’ reboots? of course not. Depp’s absence is only adding to the unnecessary nature of these upcoming films — Depp’s Jack Sparrow, was the best, and, at times, only, reason to watch the previous installments.
The ‘Pirates’ franchise has been dead to many fans, especially after the last release, 2017's "Dead Men Tell No Tales.” As far as I’m concerned, the only good one was the 2003 original. However, money talks, and reboots being greenlit occur on a near-weekly basis in Hollywood.
Cory Finley, a talented filmmaker, has directed three films so far: "Thoroughbreds" (2017), "Bad Education” (2020), and "Landscape with Invisible Hand.”