98Is it happening, after all?
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has grossed more than $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office since its first film– Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)– was released. In every single one of the five films made thus far, Johnny Depp has starred as the lead protagonist, Captain Jack Sparrow, as he embarks on a different journey, meeting many unique characters along the way.
The first three films saw Orlando Bloom (Will Turner) and Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann Turner) play the most significant supporting roles to Depp, while Penelope Cruz (Angelica) and Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbosa) played larger roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011). The final film to be made, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), saw Bloom and Knightley return for minimal roles, while Brenton Thwaites played the role of Henry Turner and Javier Bardem stepped in to play the villain. However, a lot has happened since that movie was released on the big screen.
Johnny Depp was reportedly abandoned by Disney after allegations came forward from ex-wife Amber Heard. Even after the defamation trial was complete and Depp overwhelmingly won public opinion, Disney has been tight-lipped on the potential return of Captain Jack Sparrow. In recent comments, Disney shared that it was “noncommittal” on the actor’s return.
While Depp has been on tour with his band, Hollywood Vampires, one report recently indicated that he was found passed out in a hotel room. The band posted a statement sharing that all members were “safe and healthy,” which is the most important thing, but with Disney already leaning towards moving on from Johnny Depp, many have wondered if this might be yet another log in the fire for the company to officially pull the plug on the franchise and reboot it all together.
In steps Margot Robbie.
Robbie revealed in comments last year that it seemed Disney was moving on from a script that had her as the lead protagonist in place of Depp. POTC Producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that there were two scripts being developed, one that featured Robbie and another in which very few details had been released. The company was leaning towards the latter then.
However, recent indications might point in a different direction now.
If Disney is truly committed to moving on from Johnny Depp, it will need to have a big star with a new plot to appease fans. Margot Robbie’s Barbie movie is setting all kinds of records at the box office, and while much of this has to do with the popularity of the toy itself, Robbie’s star power shouldn’t be discredited.
This kind of success is sending a message to Disney that she could handle a lead role in Pirates of the Caribbean and the backlash that will come from it, as well. Fans would much rather see Johnny Depp and Margot Robbie team up in a film, but Robbie might be able to cushion some of that with the right comments ahead of time.
There’s going to be a massive amount of backlash directed toward Disney if anyone other than Johnny Depp is the lead character in Pirates of the Caribbean 6— and rightfully so– but if this was teased as a spinoff rather than a reboot, it might draw a little less ire along the way. Trust us, though, there will still be plenty of anger to go around.
Would you watch Margot Robbie in Pirates of the Caribbean? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!