Earlier this year, we got word that Disney's female-fronted Pirates of the Caribbean movie had enlisted Birds of Prey star Margot Robbie to take the lead. The actress seemed hesitant to talk about the project during a recent interview, but she has now confirmed her involvement.
While chatting with Collider to promote her new drama Dreamland, Robbie was asked what this new POTC movie will bring to the long-running franchise.
“Lots of girl power," she responded. "No, it’s too early to talk about it. I love Christina [Hodson], obviously. I’m not a producer on Pirates, so I’ll sit back and kind of wait for the process. “We’re really, really excited at the prospect of adding obviously a very key female element to that world.”
Apparently, this is "a wholly original story with new characters under the Pirates moniker," and is not being developed as a spinoff of the block-busting franchise featuring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. There is also another POTC project in the works with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and previous Pirates movies writer Ted Elliot.
So, if this is a reboot, and Mazin's movie is a reboot, we're getting... two separate Pirates reboots? The trades may have gotten their wires crossed somewhere here, so hopefully we'll get a clearer picture of what to expect soon.
Plot details are still hidden away in Davey Jones' locker, but there's speculation that Robbie could be playing Redd; the popular meet-and-greet character from the Disney Parks attraction.
Longtime Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer is attached to produce both Hodson's film and the Elliot/Mazin project.