Until it either gets officially confirmed or denied, the main talking point surrounding the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie is always going to center around Johnny Depp’s involvement. After being unceremoniously dumped from the franchise, losing out on a huge payday in the process, a series of revelations in his messy and very public divorce from Amber Heard have started turning the tides of public opinion in the actor’s favor, with petitions demanding his reinstatement gathering huge support.
Yesterday brought the news that Guardians of the Galaxy and Jumanji star Karen Gillan is being eyed to lead what looks to be a soft reboot of the swashbuckling series, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, we heard several months ago that the main character was set to be a female pirate.
It would feel strange though to have a Pirates of the Caribbean movie that doesn’t involve Jack Sparrow in some way, and while Depp might not take top billing like he’s been accustomed to, he could still show up in some capacity. In fact, sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us Gillan was being eyed last year, well before the news broke last night – say that despite reports to the contrary, the current plan is for Captain Jack to make at least a cameo appearance.
From what we understand, the script from regular scribe Ted Elliott and Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin hasn’t been fully finished yet, so things could always change once Pirates 6 goes into production. But right now, at least, the plan is to have a scene showing us a meeting between Gillan’s character and Jack Sparrow, which is reportedly what convinces her to follow the pirate life that she’s always longed for.
Not only that, but we’ve heard the most recent version of the plot revolves around a secret treasure that Jack has hidden away, and Gillan’s pirate sets out to find it. However, she then discovers that Davy Jones is also on the hunt for it, which would confirm earlier reports that Bill Nighy is also set to return as the tentacled terror.
While we won’t know more until casting and story details are announced, Disney seem intent to plow ahead on Pirates of the Caribbean 6 with or without Johnny Depp’s involvement, and it’ll be interesting to see how the franchise fares without pushing its most popular and recognizable character to the forefront for a change.
