We’ve known for a while that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was poised to move forward with or without Johnny Depp’s involvement, with longtime series writer Terry Rossio and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin working on a female-driven reboot, but it would be safe to say that not a lot of people were expecting the announcement that Margot Robbie and Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson were working on a swashbuckling adventure of their own.
The project is set to exist separately from the sixth installment that’s heavily rumored to feature Guardians of the Galaxy and Jumanji star Karen Gillan in the lead, and marks the first time Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have set sail into spinoff territory for one of their most lucrative properties.
Each new Pirates of the Caribbean sequel has received steadily worse reviews than the last one, and it remains to be seen if dropping Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow and moving forward with two female-led movies at the same time will be able to arrest the gradual decline in quality, but a lot of fans seem thrilled at the idea of the DCEU’s Harley Quinn and Academy Award-nominated star Margot Robbie boarding the franchise.
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favourite franchises and now Margot is gonna be apart of it I LOVE WINNING https://t.co/2NpQKvEmIh
— Annabel (@MYGHOSTR) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/neenameghan/status/1276595595101138945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276595595101138945&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-divided-over-new-film-margot-robbie%2F
https://twitter.com/Cole_Canaletti/status/1276594020995620864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276594020995620864&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-divided-over-new-film-margot-robbie%2F
I literally did not think there was anything Disney could do to make me even marginally interested in a new Pirates of the Caribbean film, yet here we are https://t.co/ek6Vd3lhbm
— Will Mavity (@mavericksmovies) June 26, 2020
https://t.co/aT7fCAuHwd pic.twitter.com/wvkcvATkTg
— Geeky Waffle Network (@Geeky_Waffle) June 26, 2020
On the other side of the coin, there’s been petitions launched in an effort to try and get Disney to reconsider their position on Depp, with rumors already abounding that he could be set for a passing of the torch cameo in the sixth movie. However, some fans seem to have no interest in either of the in-development films without Captain Jack, and you can check out some of the reactions down below.
As long as Johnnys in it I’m down pic.twitter.com/8pXdymJzEK
— Harold L. Stokes (@HaroldLStokes) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/simona_ka/status/1276594593920942083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276594593920942083&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-divided-over-new-film-margot-robbie%2F
POTC without Johnny Depp isn’t possiable
— Char 🩵 (@ShayCJG) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/whatitdooobayb/status/1276604728072261632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276604728072261632&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-divided-over-new-film-margot-robbie%2F
https://twitter.com/mrwhite200128/status/1276594182480633861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276594182480633861&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-divided-over-new-film-margot-robbie%2F
With over $4.5 billion in box office takings, you can completely understand why Disney would be keen to keep the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise alive, but it appears as though longtime fans will remain divided on whether or not continuing without the brand’s marquee name is a worthwhile investment.