The Pirates of the Caribbean series of films has been one of the most successful Disney franchises for the past two decades. Its mixture of action, adventure, comedy, and romance ensured there was something for everyone to enjoy, allowing it to gross a collective $4.5 billion dollars worldwide. It made breakout stars out of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom and shot Johnny Depp into superstardom with his creation of a cinematic icon, Captain Jack Sparrow.
The adventures of Sparrow and his friends aboard the Black Pearl were huge successes for Disney every few years, but by the fourth and fifth installments, fans' interest began to wain. Poor writing, frequent delays, and uninspired use of beloved characters forced the franchise to run aground. In order to weigh anchor once again, Disney has decided to set sail with a sixth film, hoping to breathe life into its flagship franchise. Here's all we know about it so far!
IT WILL MOST LIKELY BE A REBOOT
If Disney is using Captain Jack's compass to point to the thing it wants most, it'll point in the direction of a reboot. Production whiz Sean Bailey over at the House of Mouse has explained the franchise, which by the time the 6th film comes out will be 20 years old, needs "a kick in the pants".
With each installment pulling in less of a treasure trove, it's not a great time to be a pirate, much less an old one well past its prime. Disney wants fresh wind in the sails of its juggernaut franchise, so expect to see all new characters in all-new locations, going after all-new shiny baubles.
IT'S GOING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
For five films, the Pirates of the Caribbean series have followed either Captain Jack Sparrow, the Turners, or various frenemies to both of them (to diminishing returns). In the sixth film, Disney wants to follow a new horizon, and institute new characters to root for.
The franchise has drawn on a number of legendary pirates, some real and some exaggerated, to populate its high-sea yarns. Besides familiar historical faces like Blackbeard and Davey Jones, there's plenty of other pirates Disney may choose to focus on. Perhaps a crossover with Long John Silver?
IT'S GOT A SOLID WRITING TEAM
When Disney announced the sixth film officially last October, the Deadpool writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were signing on to scribe it. This was over a year ago, and since then, that pair has exited the production, paving the way for franchise veteran Ted Elliot to return along with Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin.
With an original writer of the franchise back at the helm, collaborating with a writer of Mazin's recent acclaim, the sixth film is shaping up to already be better than the fourth and fifth installment. Those two films were a sordid departure from the typical material fans had come to expect from the franchise due to new writers.
CAPTAIN JACK MOST LIKELY WON'T BE BACK
Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth and most recent installment in the PotC franchise performed the worst at the box office, with much blame to be placed on the head of its star. Johnny Depp, who pioneered the iconic character Captain Jack Sparrow, reportedly changed much of the story to suit his own needs, resulting in a jumbled mess.
Depp's below-par writing suggestions aside, he is purported to command a $90 million dollar fee per film, which Disney may not want to pay. That, and his personal life involving drunken misconduct and domestic violence, while celebrated by pirates, doesn't translate well to box office success. He's also getting older, and Disney may want a fresh face to lead the franchise.
IT COULD HAVE A FEMALE LEAD
The franchise has been no stranger to including strong female characters, from Elizabeth Swann (who would go on to become the Pirate King), to Anamaria, Angelica, and the goddess Calypso. Disney has contemplated placing a female lead at the helm of the sixth film, drawing inspiration from its famous ride.
A woman named "Redd" can be seen on the famous water ride at Disneyland, in pirate livery being leered at by lusty men in Tortuga. It's rumored she's based on legendary pirate Anne Bonny. It's been rumored that Redd will take a prominent role in the franchise, and possibly be played by Karen Gillan.
IT COULD HAVE SOME FAMILIAR FACES
Just because Disney may not be including Johnny Depp in its next film, doesn't mean other famous faces in the franchise can't return. After all, Will Turner (who had skipped the 4th one on account of becoming the next captain of the Flying Dutchman) appeared in Dead Men Tell No Tales, and so did his wife, Elizabeth.
Captain Barbossa has been along for several adventures, as have the various colorful members of Captain Jack's crew. Even if the lead characters are completely fresh to viewers, having a few members of the supporting cast be familiar faces might help fans get used to the transition.
DAVY JONES MAY BE THE VILLAIN AGAIN
In the fifth film, the prize was Poseidon's Trident. Unlike all the previous buccaneer baubles like the Dead Man's Chest or the Fountain of Youth, the trident lifted all the curses by which pirates tend to lead their superstitious lives, including the one binding Davy Jones to the Locker.
In the post-credits final scene, we see Jones appear again, in all his tentacled glory. This could mean that he's back for one more round with Jack Sparrow or, if Jack isn't in the film, he may want to punish Will Turner or his son Henry. Having Davy Jones be the main villain once again would provide the film some much-needed hype, as well as mean a return for the always entertaining Bill Nighy.
SOME ASPECTS OF PIRATES 5 WILL CARRY OVER
When Dead Men Tell No Tales had started filming, the sixth film was supposed to be made back-to-back with the fifth. Joachim Rønning, who directed the fifth film as well as Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil, was expected to be back in the director's chair, and so far that hasn't changed.
Kaya Scodelario, who played Carina in the fifth film, has stated that she's "contractually signed" to appear in a sixth film. Whether that's a reboot or another film altogether that continues the story of her character, is unknown. Jerry Bruckheimer will return to produce.
IT COULD INVOLVE ANOTHER FILM SERIES
There have been a steady trickle of rumors that even if the sixth film is a reboot with a fresh start for the franchise, another film could be greenlit to allow for other characters from the previous five films to carry on their own adventures separate from the sixth film. This worked for On Stranger Tides, which was a stand-alone story, with allusions to the first three films but with a different adventure for the main characters.
This could mean two parallel series, much like how comic books have a main through-line of stories, and issues that feature alternate timelines. The alternate timelines give a great amount of creative freedom to writers without messing up the main plot.
IT COULD LEAD TO A PREQUEL ON DISNEY+
Between the flagship series The Mandalorian, and all the content across Disney's newest streaming service, Disney+ has become a heavy hitter alongside Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. It's been rumored that the PotC franchise may set sail in a prequel series exclusively on the platform.
Many fans have yearned for a "young Captain Jack Sparrow" series, chronicling the prancing privateer's life in his early days sailing the Seven Seas. However, if Solo is any indication of Disney's success with origin stories, it may not be the right time to reveal the truth behind the magic of Captain Jack's tall tales.