Following yesterday’s news that Margot Robbie and Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson were working on a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, there are now two new entries in the long-running franchise in the works with a female lead, but most of the talk is still focused on Johnny Depp’s involvement or lack thereof.
When Disney announced that Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow was no longer part of their plans, there was a huge backlash from fans, and petitions were soon doing the rounds in an effort to have him reinstated. While studios rarely, if ever, pay much attention to these sort of things, after public opinion swung massively in the actor’s favor following a series of revelations in his messy divorce from Amber Heard, it was reported that the Mouse House had softened their stance and were considering a cameo where he would pass the torch onto the next generation of pirates.
There’s no question that Jack Sparrow is one of the most iconic characters in 21st Century cinema, and there’s every chance that a Pirates of the Caribbean movie that doesn’t feature him could fail to match the success of the five installments that managed to earn over $4.5 billion at the box office, despite the series never being able to match the critical acclaim that greeted Curse of the Black Pearl back in 2003.
In fact, based on the online reactions to the announcement of Robbie’s spinoff, a lot of fans have no interest whatsoever in a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that doesn’t feature Captain Jack, and you can check out what folks are saying down below.
It’s simple .. if the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie has no Captain Jack Sparrow, no Johnny Depp, I’m not watching it 🤚🏼
— Duke Depp (@WonkaTiktok) June 26, 2020
I would just like to point out that I’m not against Margot Robbie starring in a Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. I just think she should be starring along side Johnny Depp who made the franchise what it is.
— Strawberry Fields ミ☆ (@sunflxwervolsix) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/laithalishious/status/1276615706319056896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276615706319056896&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-new-movie-margot-robbie-johnny-depp-jack-sparrow%2F
https://twitter.com/winonasrider/status/1276606276022263808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276606276022263808&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-new-movie-margot-robbie-johnny-depp-jack-sparrow%2F
https://twitter.com/jonsmanager/status/1276603231368556544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276603231368556544&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-new-movie-margot-robbie-johnny-depp-jack-sparrow%2F
Margot Robbie is a talented actress and all, but Pirates Of the Caribbean will fail disastrously without Johnny Depp. The People solely watch it for Depp’s Jack Sparrow. He is what made the franchise a success.
— avery (@averytravers) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/boovonghoulie/status/1276633556979195910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276633556979195910&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-new-movie-margot-robbie-johnny-depp-jack-sparrow%2F
If Johnny Depp isn’t Jack Sparrow in the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie then we don’t want it, they can keep it.
— F ✨ (@peaceminusfive) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/xdiordepp/status/1276639614657343489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276639614657343489&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpirates-of-the-caribbean-fans-new-movie-margot-robbie-johnny-depp-jack-sparrow%2F
A new Pirates of the Caribbean movie without Johnny Depp? Good luck with that idea. pic.twitter.com/IW1MZqZwIe
— John Jmz 🐧 (@johnj1138) June 26, 2020
In a lot of cases, it isn’t the stars that make the franchise, but there’s no denying that Jack Sparrow has perhaps been the single most integral factor in the continued success of the Pirates of the Caribbean brand. There’s definitely a huge amount of risk in mounting two new projects without him, but we’ll just have to wait and see if Disney will eventually cave into demand and bring him back, even if it ends up being just a brief cameo.
