The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has so far earned more than $4.5 billion worldwide, making it the 15th-highest-grossing film series of all time. Even more impressive is the fact it was the first movie franchise to produce two or more releases that grossed over $1 billion, beating the likes of the MCU and Transformers to the punch.
In recent years, we've seen the property come to an unexpected standstill, with Johnny Depp's messy - and very public - divorce from Amber Heard all but guaranteeing we won't see Captain Jack Sparrow again.
Still, talks of a reboot have persisted, including a planned female-led effort starring Margot Robbie which since appears to have been put on hold. Today, though, we have details on another Pirates of the Caribbean movie that had started taking shape at Disney prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin tells the Los Angeles Times (via SFFGazette.com) that he pitched an idea for the sixth instalment before the pandemic, with Disney choosing to start actively developing it. However, just as it was beginning to take shape, it seems the strikes stuck another spoke in the wheel.
"We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird," Mazin recalls. "And they did! And then he wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around."
We're guessing his work on The Last of Us also delayed production but until studios make a fair deal with writers and actors, this project will remain stuck in limbo.
The original series 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 franchise kicked off 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.
We've been waiting a long time for a follow-up, and with two reboots now seemingly in the works, it will be interesting to see which of them manages to cross the finish line first. Will Disney consider bringing Depp back into the fold? We wouldn't bank on it but you never know.
As always, we'll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more.