A revival of Pirates of the Caribbean starring Margot Robbie was in development at Disney for a while, but the movie has been officially canceled, raising questions about where the franchise is headed. After Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Margot Robbie was brought on to lead the franchise in an all-new film, replacing Johnny Depp amidst his controversy. Now that Margot Robbie's Pirates of the Caribbean movie has been officially canceled, it could signal a change in direction for Disney's swashbuckling series.
Granted, the cancelation of a new entry in one of Disney's most profitable franchises was most likely not made on a whim. Starting in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Johnny Depp-lead franchise based on the ride of the same name has been a massive hit for Disney, spawning five films total. Although some of the series' main actors have left throughout the course of the movies, notably Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow has remained the face of the franchise. Disney's decision to reboot Pirates with Margot Robbie was understandable due to the success of the movies. Still, for several reasons, it seems that the film just didn't work out, leaving the future of the franchise in serious doubt.
Why Isn't Margot Robbie's Pirates Of The Caribbean Reboot Happening?
As recently as May 2022, Margot Robbie's Pirates of the Caribbean reboot seemed to still be in active development, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirming that two scripts for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 were in development. However, Margot Robbie confirmed Pirates was canceled in a November 2022 Vanity Fair interview, saying, “We had an idea, and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led—not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story—which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it.” Although she doesn't go into specifics, Margot Robbie's comments, along with Bruckheimer's early updates, imply exactly how Disney is viewing the continuation, as well as why they canceled it.
Margot Robbie's Vanity Fair interview suggests that even she isn't sure why Disney canceled the film, only being able to guess that they didn't want to move forward with it. However, Bruckheimer's mentioning of two separate Pirates of the Caribbean 6 scripts has led to some speculation online. It's possible that Disney's two different versions could have something to do with Johnny Depp: one version with him, and one without him, the latter being the Margot Robbie movie. The reboot's cancelation could be a sign that Disney is returning to the original formula, although this all remains speculation until something is officially announced.
Will Disney Make Pirates Of The Caribbean 6?
It is expected that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is still happening, even without Margot Robbie. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have all been box office hits, with each film making over $650 million and two of the movies breaking the $1 billion mark. With the kind of money these movies rake in, it seems unlikely that Disney would just toss the franchise aside. Although Margot Robbie has confirmed that her movie is canceled, Disney hasn't officially announced that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is canceled outright, meaning that the film could just be going in a different direction - and there is one obvious direction it could go.
Could Johnny Depp Return To Pirates Of The Caribbean?
Although Johnny Depp is still considered to be a problematic figure by some, the end of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial has mostly taken the actor's controversies out of the spotlight. Initially, Depp lost many massive roles due to the allegations, with Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean being one of them. Now that some of the various allegations have been cleared up, it is entirely possible that Disney could bring Johnny Depp back in Pirates of the Caribbean 6.
Although there have been rumors that Disney is trying to repair its relationship with Depp, the main roadblock to bringing back Jack Sparrow could be the actor himself. Johnny Depp has been outspoken in his hesitancy to return to Pirates of the Caribbean, with Depp specifically saying that he wouldn't do it for $300 million during the trial. Although recent big-name returns like Henry Cavill's DCEU Superman have proven that anything is possible for the right amount of money, Depp seems pretty set in his ways, making his Pirates of the Caribbean 6 return pretty unlikely.
Would Disney Ever Recast Jack Sparrow?
Jack Sparrow is synonymous with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, meaning that it would be incredibly difficult to pull off an entry without him. Despite this, it still seems unlikely that Disney would ever recast the character. While Johnny Depp has played a ton of big-name roles, his performance as Jack Sparrow is what many viewers associate the actor with. Johnny Depp's likeness has been ingrained into the character, even being added to the original ride that the movies are based on. Depp is what makes Jack Sparrow, so recasting the character in a way that allows audiences to not compare the performance to Johnny Depp seems impossible.
The plans for Margot Robbie's character in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 supports the idea that Disney is hesitant to recast Jack Sparrow. Although not much is known about the film, it seems unlikely that Robbie was playing a gender-bent version of Jack Sparrow, with her most likely playing an original character. This implies that Disney is comfortable doing a Pirates movie without Jack Sparrow as the lead, as the franchise does have serious name recognition. Even though Margot Robbie's movie may not have worked out, it's entirely possible that Disney could once again try a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot without recasting Jack Sparrow.
Why Disney Is Struggling To Get POTC's Future Right
Although the movies have all been box-office successes, the cancelation of Margot Robbie's movie, alongside the critical failure of the more recent films, proves that Disney just can't get Pirates of the Caribbean's future right. Even though the series continued on without characters like Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, the loss of Jack Sparrow seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back, as the franchise has been in a state of flux since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Disney turned a simple swashbuckling adventure into a franchise with a massively built-out magical world, and the company hasn't been sure where to go from there.
In order to get Pirates of the Caribbean right, the series needs to return to its roots. Future films should be fairly straightforward adventures with strong characters and minimal supernatural elements rather than massive CGI fests packed to the brim with lore and world-building. Even if they don't make Pirates of the Caribbean 6, a Pirates of the Caribbean Disney+ series could save the franchise, allowing for Disney to do a lower-budget soft reboot focusing on new characters. Sadly, the loss of Jack Sparrow and the cancellation of Margot Robbie's movie proves that Disney still isn't sure what to do with Pirates of the Caribbean.