While Pirates of the Caribbean 6 might be happening sometime soon, producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s comments on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s return don’t bode well for the likelihood of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow comeback. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been stuck in a quagmire for some time now. Ever since 2017’s fifth movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales underperformed financially and earned the worst reviews of the series so far, the future plans for the franchise have been unclear.
Although Pirates of the Caribbean 5’s post-credits scene set up a perfect hook for a potential sequel, the underwhelming box office performance and abominable reviews that Dead Men Tell No Tales received ensured that this project was soon dead in the water. In the years since the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise dropped it's famous leading man, Johnny Depp, from the role of Jack Sparrow thanks to the actor’s highly publicized legal troubles. However, veteran blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently indicated that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will happen soon, although his comments might not be so promising when it comes to the prospect of Depp’s return.
Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Needs A New Cast
Per the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s legendary super-producer Bruckheimer, the series is pursuing a version of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 with a “younger cast.” While Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean 6 comments did not see him veto the prospect of Depp’s return as Jack Sparrow, the fact the franchise is actively pursuing a new, younger set of stars doesn’t bode well for Jack Sparrow’s potential comeback for numerous reasons. For one thing, a new cast full of bright young things will cost money, and Depp’s record-setting price tag accounted for a huge chunk of both the fourth and fifth Pirates of the Caribbean sequels’ casting budgets.
Not only would there be little money left over for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 to invest in new stars if the sequel needed to offer Depp as much as a rumored $22 million for his role, but there is also another issue with bringing back Sparrow. Judging by his “younger cast” comments, Bruckheimer wants to reinvent the Pirates of the Caribbean series for a new generation of viewers. Jungle Cruise failed to replace Pirates of the Caribbean at the box office, so now the creators of the series are hoping to reboot the franchise and remind viewers how fun its fictional universe is. However, fans won’t get excited about new cast members if they’re simply waiting for Jack’s arrival.
Pirates of the Caribbean Can’t Pair Jack With Younger Heroes
The Pirates of the Caribbean series could try to get the best of both worlds by pairing the franchise veteran Depp with a few new young stars in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. The problem is, the franchise already tried this twice, with the woeful fourth and fifth movies. While the fourth movie On Stranger Tides was critically disliked, Dead Men Tell No Tales was both a critical and commercial under-performer, which is the kiss of death for a blockbuster series. As such, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise can’t try this same approach again.
While Pirates of the Caribbean 5’s Carina and On Stranger Tides hero Philip were pretty transparent attempts to replace Kiera Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner respectively, both characters were swiftly forgotten by audiences. This was because, after paying a hefty sum for the star’s return, the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels needed to justify this approach by putting Depp’s Jack Sparrow front and center. This made the former supporting star’s once-charming role grating, and this would likely occur again if Pirates of the Caribbean 6 were to repeat this mistake by trying to pair Jack off with another set of younger cast mates.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Can Still Bring Back Depp
If his appearance is a short legacy cameo similar to the Star Wars sequels or Scream 2022, rather than a lead role like Top Gun: Maverick’s franchise revival, then Pirates of the Caribbean 6 could conceivably bring back Depp’s Jack Sparrow. There is a good chance that the embattled star’s presence could outshine the sequel’s appeal but, on the other side, it would also generate a lot of publicity for the movie. Ultimately, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 can only bring back the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s iconic antihero if he is no longer the main attraction and sole star, but it remains to be seen whether the creators realize that this is the case.