Despite interest in the franchise waning over the years, Pirates of the Caribbean remains a good source of income for Disney, but it's clear that a new direction is needed. That's why the next chapter looks set to put the spotlight on a female lead (likely Redd from the Disnelyland attraction).
Collider recently caught up with longtime franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer to get an update on the status of the reboot/sequel/next instalment, and confirmed that the screenplay is still awaiting approval from Disney. "We’re working on a draft right now and hopefully we’ll get it shortly and give it to Disney and hopefully they’ll like it," he said. "We don’t know."
Bruckheimer also went on to point out that, "We’ve been working on it for a little bit."
It was actually way back in 2018 that we learned Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were in talks to pen the screenplay, but they later left the project. Then, late last year, Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott became attached, and this female-led reboot is likely the result.
So, what of Johnny Depp's iconic Captain Jack Sparrow? We recently heard that he could still be part of this movie, but it sounds like that's still up in the air.
"The one we’re developing right now, we’re not sure quite what Johnny’s role is going to be," Bruckheimer admitted. "So, we’re going to have to see." Reading between the lines, it sounds unlikely, and something tells us that if he does appear, it probably won't be much more than a cameo.
Jack feels played out at this point, so even if he doesn't make the final cut, it won't matter too much! Do you guys agree, or will it just not be Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp?