Fans were heartbroken when Johnny Depp confirmed during his recent stint in court that no amount of money could persuade him to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which drew a pretty definitive line under his two-decade tenure as the big screen’s Jack Sparrow.
We’re making that definition because the actor has become famous for bringing his pirate costume with him everywhere he goes, solely to bring joy to fans of the character. With Depp out of the picture, there doesn’t really seem to be much point in continuing on with the swashbuckling saga, but close to $5 billion in box office takings always meant that Disney were unlikely to give up.
A sixth installment in the main series was announced to be in development, alongside a spinoff being crafted by Birds of Prey duo Margot Robbie and Christina Hodson. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a peep out of either, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed to The Sunday Times that both projects continue to move forward.
“Yes. We’re talking to Margot Robbie. We are developing two Pirates scripts — one with her, one without.”
When questioned about Depp, though, Bruckheimer takes a more vague stance by admitting “not at this point, the future is yet to be decided”. Given that he’s always been a staunch supporter and ally of the deposed leading man, it’s no surprise that he won’t definitively rule anything out, but Pirates of the Caribbean supporters will need to brace themselves for the worst.
