The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise can’t afford to kill off Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, but the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 6 also can’t ignore his existence or bring him back — presenting a serious problem for the creators. Ever since the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, hit theatres in 2003 the franchise has been synonymous with Johnny Depp’s lovable antihero Jack Sparrow. The character worried Disney executives before the movie’s release, as nervous producers thought that Depp’s campy affectations would fall flat with the target audience of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Soon, the exact opposite proved true, and even The Curse of the Black Pearl's (few) negative reviews singled Depp’s performance out as the best thing in the movie. The scene-stealing turn won both critical praise and fan adulation, reshaping the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels as a result. Originally intended to be an ensemble adventure story, the saga gradually pivoted to focusing more and more on Jack Sparrow alone, going so far as to jettison supporting stars Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom’s central roles after the third outing.
Switching the focus of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to center solely on Depp’s beloved character was a mixed bag for the series, which received far worse reviews after Knightley and Bloom were replaced. However, the fourth outing of the franchise, 2011’s On Stranger Tides, nonetheless made over a billion dollars at the box office and managed to break even despite being the most expensive movie of all time. As a result, the decision to keep Depp’s Sparrow front and center continued on — until the box office receipts and the star’s personal life took a turn for the worse. 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales was significantly less successful with audiences than its predecessors, a fact that (alongside Depp’s ongoing legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard) prompted Disney to drop the actor from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, while the series may no longer have Johnny Depp’s antihero, the movies still can’t afford to kill him off, either — presenting a unique problem for the franchise going forward.
Death Is Rarely Permanent In Pirates of the Caribbean
The most obvious reason that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies can not kill off Depp’s Jack Sparrow is the fact that, historically, the series has struggled to kill off anyone — permanently, at least. Between the revival of Captain Barbossa at the end of Dead Man’s Chest, the revival of Jack in the opening scenes of At World’s End, and the revival of Davy Jones at the close of Dead Men Tell No Tales, it is pretty clear that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies never took death too seriously. Worse yet, while no character’s death is ever certain to be permanent in the franchise, the offing of a figure as central as Jack Sparrow would definitely be seen as a misdirect by fans. Bringing back Barbossa at the end of Dead Man’s Chest was a surprise for some viewers as they didn’t expect the one-off villain to have a larger role in the franchise. However, bringing back a character as central as Jack would be expected — doubly so if his death occurred offscreen.
Jack’s Death Could (Ironically) Give Fans False Hope
While not mentioning Jack at all would be pretty egregious for any project set in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe (wherein almost everyone “has heard of” the Black Pearl’s infamous Captain), bringing up his offscreen death would likely only fuel fans to assume a bait and switch was in play. Mentioning that Jack died offscreen (which would need to be the case, since Depp is reportedly not being asked to return) would lead fans of the wily character to assume this was a misdirect and an eventual cameo was inevitable. This would only make them angrier when no such appearance materialized and could cause accusations of the series attempting to hide his absence.
The POTC Series Still Needs Jack Sparrow
Outside of Depp’s exit, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise needs Sparrow to maintain its appeal to audiences, as evidenced by his front and center role in the recent Sea of Thieves video game crossover. The franchise flounders without Jack as an anchor for its antics, meaning that at least implying he is still around is necessary (although likely to annoy faithful fans who demanded his onscreen return). Thus, the Pirates of the Caribbean series is caught in an unenviable catch-22 where referencing Depp’s Sparrow (even in the context of saying he died offscreen) will fuel speculation of an onscreen return, but failing to mention him will likely infuriate fans.
There is no obvious middle ground or third option, as Jack is too famous within the world of the franchise for characters to simply never mention his existence, as some other spin-offs have attempted with famous pre-existing roles. Even if Margot Robbie’s rumoued Pirates of the Caribbean reboot is a prequel, the existence of Keith Richards’ Captain Teague ensures that Jack will likely end up being mentioned indirectly even if the character doesn’t exist yet. The original movies created a world where, intentionally or otherwise, international piracy centers on one likeable rogue — and his absence would be galling no matter how it is papered over.
Pirates of The Caribbean 6 May Not Work Without Jack
Too recognizable to recast, too pivotal to ignore, too risky to mention and risk raising false hope, and too invincible to kill off offscreen, Jack Sparrow remains a consummate thorn in the side of the series. It is unlikely that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will be able to go forward without his involvement in some form or another, whether this means clumsily attempting a faceless, dialogue-free cameo or making the new heroine a distant reaction of Jack’s and attempting to excuse his absence through retirement. Of course, there is an argument that Hollywood simply does not need another Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and the difficulty of working around Depp’s absence could be a blessing in disguise if it allows the series to end (relatively) gracefully without another addition. However, if there is money to be mined from audiences, the odds are good that viewers will see another Pirates of the Caribbean movie, sans Jack Sparrow, regardless of how hard this will be for the series to pull off.