The later Pirates of the Caribbean movies fared poorly with critics, but why did Gore Verbinski, who directed Pirates of the Caribbean, leave 2017's Dead Men Tell No Tales well alone? Released in 2003, the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, seemed destined to sink at the box office before the movie arrived in cinemas. It was all the more surprising when The Weather Man director Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ended up being a massive hit with both critics and audiences. The Gore Verbinski Pirates of the Caribbean movie made a whopping $650 million at the box office on a budget of only $140 million, making overnight stars of lead actors Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley and elevating Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow to instant icon status for generations of moviegoers.
However, the subsequent Pirates of the Caribbean movies that rounded out the original trilogy failed to recapture the magic of the original, with Verbinski opting for a darker, more tragic tone and far more complicated mythology than the first film’s simple story. This said, these first two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, while convoluted, still enjoyed relative critical success and impressive box office receipts. When the trilogy ended, Gore Verbinski left the series, being replaced by Chicago director Rob Marshall for the financially successful but critically dismissed fourth outing, On Stranger Tides. The Gore Verbinski Pirates of the Caribbean career wasn't over, as he was approached to return for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 but declined to direct 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales as he saw nothing but money propelling the franchise. Why did Gore Verbinski leave Pirates and never return?
Why Gore Verbinski Turned Down Directing Pirates Of The Caribbean 5
Why did Gore Verbinski, who helmed Pirates of the Caribbean, leave Pirates' fourth sequel to another director? Verbinski said there was “no reason but financial” to make Pirates of the Caribbean 5. According to the terrible reviews and significantly worse box office of the fourth sequel, he was seemingly correct: Dead Men Tell No Tales all but ended Johnny Depp’s career-defining franchise. Verbinski’s missing influence on the later installments was blamed for the failure of Dead Men Tell No Tales at the box office, as he brought a consistent look and subsequent believability to his films in the series that later directors failed to recapture.
However, while the Gore Verbinski Pirates of the Caribbean visual palette is striking in the original trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean movies, this theory doesn’t account for the success of the Harry Potter movies which changed directors thrice during their record-breaking cinematic run. Another potential reason for the failure of the later Pirates of the Caribbean installments was the lack of fresh faces in the franchise's cast, something that the upcoming Margot Robbie-starring reboot of the series will be relying on to bring in viewers bored by the later sequels.
POTC's Original Director Turning Down Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Was The Right Decision
Ultimately, Verbinski's call not to direct Pirates of the Caribbean 5 was probably the right move for a number of reasons. For one, it would have been difficult for the franchise to revert back to the tone of its original trilogy after already diverging with On Stranger Tides. Trying to re-capture the magic of The Curse of the Black Pearl didn't exactly work for Verbinski himself with Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3, and it's even less likely that the mistake-filled Pirates of the Caribbean 5 could have pulled off such a move.
What's more, since Verbinski had already made it publicly clear that he viewed Dead Men Tell No Tales as a cash grab, getting him to direct could have led to bad publicity – and, even worse, it would have meant that the man helming the project didn't even believe in it. For these reasons, Verbinski's decision not to be involved with Pirates of the Caribbean 5 was for the best.
Does Pirates Of The Caribbean Need Gore Verbinski?
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is coming down the pipeline after a much-needed break for the franchise. However, Joachim Rønning, who directed Dead Men Tell No Tales, will be at the helm for the new movie. Based on the last two films' abysmal box office returns, is it possible that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise needs Verbinski in their corner? Out of all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the 4th and 5th installments were by far the least well-received. Between Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly not returning and the narratives being riddled with plot holes, the last two Pirates of the Caribbean movies didn't fare well with audiences and critics alike.
Gore Verbinski basically created the Pirates universe, with his sensibilities for aesthetics making a world that audiences eagerly accepted and wanted to be a part of. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and 5 attempted to expand the lore of Verbinski's universe, and to disastrous results. In addition, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is facing the same issues as Avatar 2 in that its egregiously long production timeline has lost audience interest along the way. While the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie could be good, Gore Verbinski is who gave the franchise life.