Whether the fans like it or not, and they most definitely don’t based on the online reaction to the news, Disney are moving forward with two new Pirates of the Caribbean movies, neither of which are currently set to feature Johnny Depp in any capacity. Box office takings already dropped significantly between On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales, and the franchise runs the real risk of fading into irrelevancy now, especially when the main draw of the series is no longer involved.
A sixth installment in the main saga is in the works with the fifth entry’s director Joachim Ronning set to return, while a spinoff is also on the way from Birds of Prey duo Margot Robbie and Christina Hodson, with the former set to produce and star and the latter tackling the script. Although there’s been plenty of speculation, and influential producer Jerry Bruckheimer continues to be non-committal, since being dropped from Fantastic Beasts 3 by Warner Bros., Depp’s chances of returning as Jack Sparrow appear to be slimmer than ever.
However, insider Daniel Richtman now claims that Disney are considering the idea of introducing Jack Sparrow’s long lost son into one of the upcoming projects in an attempt to compensate for Depp’s absence. Taking to Patreon, here’s what he shared:
“Disney will introduce Jack’s lost Son to have another Sparrow in the franchise.”
Given his well known proclivities, it would admittedly make sense within the context of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise for at least one Jack Sparrow Jr. to be running around, but at this stage, that particular plot development has been done to death and it honestly feels like a cop-out to give audiences a taste of the character without having to rehire Johnny Depp.
Tell us, though, would you like to see the franchise head in this direction? Let us know down below.
