It’s been seven years since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales hit theaters, and fans are still waiting for another adventure on the high seas. While a sixth film is officially in the works, it won’t be the sequel many were expecting. Instead, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that the franchise is getting a full reboot—meaning a new cast, a fresh story, and a departure from the swashbuckling crew we’ve come to know.
A Pirate’s Life—But Not for Johnny Depp?
The biggest question surrounding the new Pirates film has been whether Johnny Depp will return as the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. While Bruckheimer has remained vague, he made it clear that the reboot will be built around a new cast, saying, “We’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.”
Depp’s departure from the franchise dates back to his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, during which he revealed that Disney had cut ties with him following Heard’s 2018 op-ed about domestic abuse. Despite fan campaigns urging Disney to bring him back, Depp has made it clear he has no intention of reprising the role—even joking in court that he wouldn’t return for “$300 million and a million alpacas.”
Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), and Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann) also seem unlikely to return, reinforcing the idea that this reboot is a clean slate rather than a continuation of past stories.
What Happened to Margot Robbie’s Pirates Movie?
At one point, there was buzz about a female-led Pirates film starring Margot Robbie. However, that project appears to have been scrapped. Robbie herself confirmed in 2022 that Disney had abandoned the idea despite early development: “We had an idea, and we were developing it for a while… which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it.”
Who’s Behind the Script?
The new Pirates film is being written by Craig Mazin (The Last of Us, Chernobyl) and Ted Elliott, who co-wrote the original Pirates of the Caribbean films. The duo joined the project in 2019 after the Deadpool writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick left.
According to Mazin, their pitch was so unusual that they didn’t expect Disney to approve it: “We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did!” However, the 2023 Writers Guild strike put the project on pause, so fans are still waiting for further updates.
When Will Pirates 6 Set Sail?
As of now, there’s no official title, director, or release date. Bruckheimer has suggested that production is moving forward, but with no returning cast members to anchor the story, the timeline remains uncertain.
When asked which would arrive first—a new Top Gun or a new Pirates movie—Bruckheimer simply said: “It’s hard to tell… But we’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.”
For now, the world of Pirates of the Caribbean is set for a fresh start, though whether it can capture the same magic without Captain Jack Sparrow remains to be seen.
