Disney found a great deal of success with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, even if each sequel took a dip in quality. Inspired by one of Disneyland’s most iconic attractions, the first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, is still widely regarded as a fan favourite.
However, the later entries—Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, On Stranger Tides, and Dead Men Tell No Tales—received a far less enthusiastic reception from fans and critics.
Johnny Depp's magnetic performance as Captain Jack Sparrow was a major reason for the series' popularity. Amber Heard's allegations of domestic violence and the subsequent high-profile legal battles prompted Disney to abandon plans for a sixth film. While Depp is currently staging a career comeback, Disney appears to be taking the franchise back to the drawing board.
The latest Pirates of the Caribbean rumours point to 1917 scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns writing a movie that would focus on Jack Sparrow's son and, potentially, Robbie's mystery character.
Jerry Bruckheimer produced all five previous Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and when Entertainment Tonight (via SFFGazette.com) asked about the latest rumours, he replied, "They’re close on part of it. That’s all I'll tell you."
Pushed on The Suicide Squad and Barbie star's potential involvement, Bruckheimer added, "I think you’re going up the right road," noting that the team overseeing the franchise "loves Margot Robbie."
A new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is supposedly a priority for the new regime at Disney; it's no great surprise when the movies listed above have grossed a combined $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office.
It's clearly still early days for this movie—which may be a sequel, reboot, or more likely, both—and we'd imagine the studio will be eager to get it right after recently attemps to resurrect the TRON franchise fell flate with the Jared Leto-led TRON: Ares. Ironically, that was helmed by Joachim Rønning, who directed 2017's Dead Men Tell No Tales.
The franchise previously followed the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), with Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally).
The series began in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a movie that grossed $654 million worldwide. After the first instalment's success, Disney forged ahead with two sequels, including 2006's Dead Man's Chest and At World's End in 2007. In 2011, we got On Stranger Tides, though Dead Men Tell No Tales ended things on something of a bum note in 2017.
Keep checking back here for updates as we have them.