Pirates of the Caribbean must have seemed like a pretty wild idea when it was first pitched back in the early 2000s. The concept of taking a theme park ride and adapting it into a major blockbuster with a budget of over $100 million is the kind of thinking that no doubt resulted in the disastrous 2012 movie Battleship. Yet, the pic was a huge success, winning over audiences with its witty charm, dazzling VFX and, of course, Johnny Depp’s excellent performance as Captain Jack Sparrow (which earned him an Oscar nod).
Of course, sequels were ordered up pretty quickly, with the back-to-back filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End commencing soon after. And while they earned lower reviews than the first outing, each pic still stuck to the same task of expanding the world/mythology of the pirates and continuing the story of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan.
But since then, the studio’s continued to bring back the series from its resting place in order to soak more money out of it, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to be putting Captain Jack back on the shelf anytime soon. Although, next time we see him, it may be someone other than Depp in the role, as apparently, Disney’s looking to press the reboot button.
Deadline reports that the Mouse House is talking to Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the two men responsible for the Deadpool films, among other successful movies, about giving the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise a new coat of paint. From what we understand, Jerry Bruckheimer will stay on board as producer, but the outlet says that at this stage, it’s unknown if Depp – or any of the other original cast members – will be involved in any way.
Frankly, it’s probably for the best if Johnny stays away. With the sequels’ increasing tendency to get lost in their own narratives, the needless pushing of spectacle over heart, and the over-reliance on Jack Sparrow to the point of exhaustion, this is a franchise that needs a totally clean slate if it’s to continue drawing in audiences. What this news means for the recently announced Pirates of the Caribbean 6, we can’t say, but it sounds as if those plans may now be scrapped, with Disney choosing to start over and give this pirate-themed series the reboot it so desperately needs.
