Margot Robbie is set to star in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but how could the reboot still include original series star Johnny Depp’s iconic antihero, Jack Sparrow? Released in 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a surprise smash hit for The Ring director Gore Verbinski. Thanks to a likable cast, impressive action sequences, and a witty script, the swashbuckling adventure managed to single-handedly revive the pirate movie sub-genre eight years after the historic failure of Renny Harlin’s flop Cutthroat Island led many to think seafaring adventures were dead in the water.
The secret weapon of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was Johnny Depp’s instantly iconic antihero Jack Sparrow, the fast-talking pirate who won over audiences and critics alike. Depp’s character was a wild, campy invention that Disney executives feared audiences would hate, but instead the actor's performances in the role remained one of the few saving graces of the lesser Pirates of the Caribbean sequels.
The actor has since parted ways with the franchise due to his ongoing public legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, with both parties accusing the other of domestic violence. However, a petition demanding the return of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 6 reached over half a million signatures, despite Disney’s assurances that the Margot Robbie-starring movie will be a reboot, not a spin-off of the original movies. Despite the odds, it begins to look more and more possible that Disney may need to reconsider their decision to continue the franchise without the original Jack Sparrow, which leads viewers to wonder how he could be reincorporated into the franchise. So, how could the Black Pearl’s Captain still crop up in Margot Robbie’s upcoming reboot?
Pirates 6 Could Kill Jack Sparrow
Beginning with what is the most obvious and cleanest option for the new iteration of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, killing off Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow would be an easy way for the new movie to sever its connection with the original series. Killing off Jack Sparrow (perhaps in a heroic climactic self-sacrifice to save Robbie’s new franchise heroine) would make Robbie’s character a more legitimate replacement for Depp’s sword-slinger Jack Sparrow than if the original star of the series is simply never referenced in the new reboot, which could make Jack an elephant in the room. Killing off Jack and leaving the character to die as a hero could also be used to prove that the franchise’s transition didn’t come with any bad blood, avoiding the criticism that 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot faced when the movie killed off original star Bill Murray’s character in less-than-dignified circumstances.
However, while it is easy to see how the death of Captain Jack Sparrow could be used to sever the tie between the original and new Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the efficacy of this approach does not automatically make it the best creative option available. Jack’s death, after all, would likely still be crushing for a significant portion of the franchise’s sizable fanbase who are used to seeing the character surviving any scrape (including Jack's original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy “death”). As a result, killing off Jack could do more harm than good, particularly given the effort that would, by that point, have been taken to rehire his actor and reintegrate him into the story of the series.
Jack Sparrow Could Be A Mentor Figure
If Johnny Depp were to return to the series, it’s unlikely that the aging actor would want to commit to numerous sequels filled with the zany stuntwork the character has been known for until now. Depp’s stunt double suffered a life-altering injury as early as the first Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest, and with Margot Robbie’s impressive blockbuster pedigree proving that the actor is perfectly suited to stunt-heavy action, there is not the same requirement for Depp’s character to commit to physical comedy sequences as dramatically throughout the reboot. As a result, transitioning into a mentor role could be a more dignified part for Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean reboot, and one that would allow the actor to let his younger replacement take over in the more action-oriented scenes while he retains the verbal sparring, humor, and charm that made the character famous.
With Captain Barbossa returning in 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales as an unlikely father figure, it is easier than ever to see the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise bringing back Jack Sparrow as a mentor figure. This would also allow the actor to deliver as much comic relief as ever without being the center of attention. After all, overly focusing the films on Depp as the central protagonist of the series was one element of the later sequels that reviewers singled out for criticism. With Jack once again playing support, this time to Robbie’s heroine rather than Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom’s original trilogy stars Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, the character can be the scene-stealer he works best as again, rather than the center of attention.
Jack Sparrow Could Be The Villain of Pirates 6
The potential option of bringing back Jack Sparrow as the villain of Pirates of the Caribbean 6's story is the least likely, but most promising, option available to the creators of the blockbuster franchise. Setting the series’ most-loved character up to return only to then reveal that he is a villain pitted against Robbie’s new heroine would make for an engaging “old vs new” battle between the original Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and its reboot. The twist would allow the creators to show a darker side of Jack Sparrow missing in the light-hearted earlier movies, while also directly addressing the meta-question of Depp’s character no longer being the star of Pirates of the Caribbean. Given the endless amount of double-crossing that usually occurs in the series, this story could also still end with Sparrow on the same side as Robbie’s heroine, and it’s the most interesting approach for the franchise to take. However, even if Pirates of the Caribbean 6 does bring back Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, it is unlikely that he will be recast as the villain, since the series would by then have fired and rehired his actor, meaning more status quo upending would likely be unwelcome despite the obvious dramatic potential.