Pirates Of The Caribbean Stars Not Returning Because They Are Too Old?
Megaproducer Jerry Bruckheimer is working on a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie with an all-new, younger cast.
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In a wide ranging interview The Hollywood Reporter conducted with Jerry Bruckheimer, the megaproducer behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the 79-year old blockbuster maestro provided more information on the future films. Two Pirates films have been moving forward, one with Margot Robbie, but the other one, which will likely be made first, is a reboot featuring a younger cast. With an emphasis on restarting the franchise after the fifth film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, it appears that none of the original cast will be back for the future movies.
When asked directly about the status of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Bruckheimer explained “We developed two of them — the one with Margot Robbie and one with a younger cast. The Margot Robbie one needs a little more work. The younger cast one is close. Hopefully we’ll get both of them.”
While it is no surprise that the stars of the first Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom, have moved on, with potential cameos left open, it’s Johnny Depp that will be missed the most if he sits out future films. The role of Captain Jack Sparrow has become Depp’s most iconic role, one he has portrayed in every Pirates films, despite Bruckheimer’s attempts to kill off the character. Even if his longtime producer will welcome Depp back on set, the ultimate decision rest with Disney, the company that first fired him when Amber Heard went public with accusations of spousal abuse.
Jerry Bruckheimer on a new Pirates movie: “We developed two of them — the one with Margot Robbie and one with a younger cast. The Margot Robbie one needs a little more work. The younger cast one is close. Hopefully we’ll get both of them.”
Now that the trial is over, and Johnny Depp has been found innocent in the eyes of the law, and to a corporation that wants to sell the most tickets, in the eyes of the public, there is a chance that he comes back in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Another catch is the studio moving forward with a younger cast, typically that means a fresh start, with brand new characters in a new setting. One of the most famous examples of rebooting a franchise with younger stars can be seen in the oft-forgotten Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which replaced Vin Diesel and Paul Walker with Lucas Black and Lil’ Bow-Wow.
A newer, younger Pirates of the Caribbean is also, according to Jerry Bruckheimer, not the only movie in the pipeline, as he confirms that the Margot Robbie film is still being developed. The Suicide Squad star recently went public, announcing that the film was not going to happen, but according to Bruckheimer, it is just waiting in line behind the reboot film. The Top Gun: Maverick producer explained that he thinks she went public because “I’m sure she was disappointed it didn’t go first — or maybe not because she’s very busy, so it might be a blessing to push this a bit.”
No matter what happens with Pirates of the Caribbean moving forward, the question remains if audiences will turn out to watch a film without Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. Are the movies popular because they are about pirates, or are they popular because of Depp’s adventurous pirate? In a few years, according to the mind behind the franchise, that question will be answered, for now fans will be gobbling up every morsel of information they can get on the future of the blockbuster franchise.
