‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ make decision on Johnny Depp’s franchise future
Having earned over $4.5billion at the box office, there was little chance Disney was going to let the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise sit on the shelf to gather dust for too long, but whether Johnny Depp would return has remained the elephant in the room.
The star landed the first Academy Award nomination of his career when he was shortlisted in the ‘Best Actor’ category for the opening instalment, The Curse of the Black Pearl. His performance as Captain Jack Sparrow turned the eccentric pirate into an instant icon and one of the 21st century’s most popular big-screen characters.
The series gradually succumbed to the law of diminishing returns over the course of its four sequels, but it continued making serious revenue from cinemas. However, question marks have been placed over the future of Pirates of the Caribbean ever since its leading man, focal point, and main attraction became the subject of several high-profile courtroom battles.
These days, Depp has effectively exiled himself from mainstream Hollywood. Additionally, there’s a feeling the decision was somewhat mutual given the way his star had been gradually fading before he even found himself wrapped up in litigation. Still, there have always been rumours swirling that he could return for a sixth Pirates flick, although producer Jerry Bruckheimer may have dumped a bucket of cold water over the speculation.
In an interview with Comic Book, the blockbuster veteran said, “We’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.” He didn’t get any more specific than that, but a complete overhaul would indicate that Depp and any other legacy cast members won’t be involved.
Margot Robbie was developing a Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff at one stage that was being penned by her Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson, but that didn’t end up gaining any real traction, to the point where it’s sunk back to the deepest, darkest, depths of Davy Jones’ Locker.
It remains to be seen if the fans who’ve stuck with the franchise since 2003 would even be on board with the prospect of a swashbuckling adventure that doesn’t feature Depp in at least some capacity, but Disney is evidently unwilling to let such a lucrative cash cow dry up either way, so Pirates 6 is bound to happen eventually with or without him.
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