The future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is up in the air, and some things may surprise you.
The Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise is a beloved and iconic series of swashbuckling adventures that have captivated audiences around the world. The franchise is based on the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort attraction of the same name and has spawned five films to date, as well as numerous spin-offs, books, and merchandise.
The first film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, was released in 2003 and was an unexpected success, grossing over $654 million worldwide and receiving critical acclaim. The film starred Johnny Depp as the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow, alongside Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann.
The success of the first film led to a series of sequels, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). While the later films were less critically acclaimed than the first, they still proved popular with audiences and grossed over $4.5 billion combined.
While there have been plans for a sixth film to be made in the franchise, one of the biggest issues is the dispute happening between Disney and Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow). Many fans have hoped that Depp might return, but his battle with ex-wife Amber Heard has left many wondering if a reunion between Depp and Hollywood could ever be possible. Now, it seems there’s a movement to bring Depp’s ex-wife in to play a lead role in the franchise that her ex-husband made so popular.
The ongoing battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
The legal battle between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has been ongoing since their divorce in 2016, with various lawsuits and countersuits filed by both parties.
Depp claims that Heard’s allegations of domestic violence were false and that they caused him to lose job opportunities in Hollywood. Heard denies the allegations and has accused Depp of abusive behavior towards her during their relationship. The two met in a defamation trial last spring, and the result saw Depp come out a winner. He was originally awarded more than $10.35 million in damages, and Amber Heard vowed to appeal the decision.
In the end, the two settled outside of court, with Depp receiving $1 million from his ex-wife in December.
Before the U.S. defamation trial, Johnny Depp had lost a previous defamation lawsuit in the UK against a British tabloid newspaper, The Sun, which had referred to him as a “wife-beater” in an article about his relationship with Amber Heard. The case centered around allegations of domestic violence made by Amber Heard against Johnny Depp during their marriage. The High Court in London ruled that the newspaper had been justified in using the term “wife-beater” to describe Depp, based on evidence presented in court. The judge found that Depp had assaulted Heard on multiple occasions and that the allegations were “substantially true.”
As the legal proceedings have essentially been completed, the two parties are moving on with their lives. However, it seems that one is still welcomed in Hollywood and the other– at least for the time being– has been blacklisted by studios.
Why Johnny Depp is probably out as Captain Jack Sparrow
While we’d love to see Johnny Depp return as Captain Jack Sparrow, the odds are overwhelmingly favorable in the other direction.
In addition to the issues that many Hollywood studios have expressed in reportedly blacklisting Johnny Depp in relation to the claims that were brought forth by Amber Heard, Disney and Depp have had their own issues stemming before the couple even officially divorced.
Inside the Magic previously covered that Disney had many troubles working with Johnny Depp, especially in the last couple of installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Johnny Depp reportedly came to work “drunk” on one occasion and court documents indicated that Disney actually had to use one of their assistants to camp outside of Depp’s home while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The assistant’s job was to watch the house and let the studio and workers on set know when it looked like Depp was getting ready.
Johnny Depp has had his fair share of issues with Disney, as well. The company turned its back on the actor far before legal proceedings had ever been conducted, and Depp even shared in the defamation trail last summer that he “wouldn’t return to Disney for $300 million.”
While many insiders have claimed that the two parties have had negotiations, nothing has been confirmed. Johnny Depp moved out of Hollywood and is currently focusing on his career in Europe, with a new movie set to be released soon. Some still believe he could make a return to Disney at some point in the future, but for now, many believe Depp’s most likely “return project” in Hollywood will be with Warner Bros., potentially joining his longtime friend Tim Burton in Beetlejuice 2.
Amber Heard the next star in Pirates of the Caribbean?
A report from We Got This Covered indicated that Amber Heard had discussions with Margot Robbie in the past about joining her in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it pegged the actress as a possible replacement for her ex-husband.
“The 34-year-old has spoken to Margot Robbie about a potential role in the upcoming spin-off that’s said to have an abundance of girl power,” they reported. “It’s unclear if the actress has had talks with the studio just yet about it, or if she’s only discussed it with the Birds of Prey star at this stage.”
The report indicated that if Warner Bros. is willing to have Amber Heard as a major star in one of its franchises, why wouldn’t Disney be willing to do the same? Of course, the movie that the report is talking about is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), which is set to be released later this year.
“In the eyes of the law, Amber is technically the victim here and if WB [Warner Bros.] is willing to have her headline a major blockbuster, what’s to say that Disney won’t do the same?”
Of course, as things have seemingly simmered down and Aquaman 2 is closer to its release date, this report has resurfaced and has many wondering if Disney could be waiting to make a decision about the future of its $4.5 billion franchise.
Pirates of the Caribbean Executive Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that the Margot Robbie-led film was likely being put on the back burner for the time being, but he did indicate that Disney still plans to make it in the future.
“I think that that script will come forward at a certain point,” Bruckheimer said. “We developed two different stories for ‘Pirates’ and the other one’s going forward first, so that’s what we’re working on, to try to get that one made.”
So, while the idea of Amber Heard replacing Johnny Depp will not happen in the near future, it’s something that has been discussed and likely will continue to be discussed. Though many fans would go absolutely crazy if this were to happen, you have to remember that Heard is still in the good graces of Hollywood studios, and Depp is on the outside looking in. If the belief is that she can bring in a number– and there certainly would be plenty of conversation– there’s a chance that Disney would do it.
This is especially true considering that Disney is likely to move forward with another script first and come back to the all-female-led cast following the sixth installment of the franchise. Of course, this has yet to be confirmed.
Dwayne Johnson is out of Pirates of the Caribbean
One of the biggest names surrounding replacements for Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow) in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been none other than Dwayne Johnson.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson has starred in a couple of Disney blockbusters in the last few years, voicing the character Maui in Moana (2016) and playing Skipper Frank Wolff in Jungle Cruise (2021). Just recently, Johnson announced that he would be starring in a live-action version of Moana. While the movie’s announcement was met with some backlash, filming is set to begin in October, but an official release date has not been confirmed as of yet.
With Johnson working on so many Disney projects, it should make sense that the actor has essentially moved on from contention for a role in Pirates of the Caribbean. It hasn’t been announced if Johnson elected to make this decision on his own or if Disney decided to go in a different direction.
Many believe that an actor of Dwayne Johnson’s caliber could bring notoriety to a Pirates of the Caribbean installment without Captain Jack Sparrow, but Johnson also likely won’t want to deal with the backlash that might come from trying to fill the shoes of Johnny Depp and his avid fanbase.
Most likely replacements for Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean
Of course, Disney could always elect to go in the direction of using the script starring Margot Robbie and bringing in Amber Heard to play a role in the franchise, but the most likely replacement is a little closer to Depp.
If Disney does decide to move forward with Pirates of the Caribbean 6 with Johnny Depp, the most likely option is to pay for Orlando Bloom (Will Turner) and Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann Turner) to return to the franchise and go on an adventure starring their family. If you saw the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, you already know that there is a teaser for this kind of script, but we won’t spoil it for you.
A spinoff detailing the life of the Turner family could certainly be interesting and might appease many fans who have already stated they won’t see a Pirates of the Caribbean film without Johnny Depp. Honestly, there will still be plenty of backlashes, but this at least might make a little more sense than going in any other direction or trying to introduce new characters in the series with Captain Jack Sparrow making an appearance.
This would also open the door for a Johnny Depp return in the future if the two sides were able to work out their differences, but if not, we’d at least get to see characters who we’ve become familiar with.
All this being said, the direction that most fans would rather Disney go is to not make another movie at all if it’s not going to involve Johnny Depp. While a movie with Amber Heard and Margot Robbie might be a major discussion point, it’s not likely to be a major box-office attraction. A movie with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley– or a younger cast, for that matter– is not going to bring in the money that a movie with Johnny Depp would bring in.
For now, however, everything remains up in the air.
How would you feel if Disney gave Amber Heard a role in Pirates of the Caribbean? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!