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Credit: DisneyThe Walt Disney Company just made a historic change to one of its most beloved franchises, Pirates of the Caribbean.
The swashbuckling Walt Disney Studios films have entertained fans for two decades. The adventures began in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and continued with 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).
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is at the forefront of all five films and is an irreplaceable part of the franchise for many fans. But things changed forever when Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, came forward with accusations of domestic abuse.
Depp fought the claims with mixed results. In 2020, he lost a libel lawsuit against The U.K. Sun, in which a magistrate judge found ample evidence that allowed the newspaper to call the star a “wife beater.”
In 2022, Depp won a defamation lawsuit against Heard in a Virginia courtroom. He sued the model and actress after she referred to herself as a victim of domestic abuse in a The Washington Post Op-Ed. Heard didn’t identify Depp in the article, but the Pirates of the Caribbean star argued that the piece led to the desecration of his public image and career.
During the trial, insiders revealed that Margot Robbie was slated to replace Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. Robbie has since distanced herself from the developing film, but Disney reportedly hasn’t offered Depp the opportunity to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer was quoted in 2023 saying the two parties needed to put their differences aside for the sake of the fans.
Walt Disney Studios has kept quiet about franchise developments in the years since Depp’s 2022 trial. However, fans recently got a fresh look at Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley), Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).
This week, Fortnite premiered its collaboration with Pirates of the Caribbean. It includes purchasable character skins of Elizabeth Swann, Captain Barbossa, and Davy Jones.
Johnny Depp is also included in the collaboration. Players can obtain a Captain Jack Sparrow skin by purchasing a premium battle pass, while free players can access Jack’s Ship Glider and other Pirates of the Caribbean-themed items.
Related: Disney’s Live-Action ‘Lion King’ hires Jeff Nathanson to pen script
Players can also head out onto the high seas with in-game items and quests inspired by the Walt Disney Studios films.
However, Disney and Epic Games made a fundamental mistake when updating Fortnite for the Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration. An Inside the Magic reporter noticed that Captain Barbossa’s name was misspelled in an in-game advertisement as “Captain Barboss.”
The error is visible in the image below.
Epic Games hasn’t commented publicly on the spelling error, but it is likely to be fixed in an upcoming patch.
This latest collaboration is just the beginning for Fortnite and Disney. Earlier this year, CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney made a staggering $1.5 million investment in Epic Games, with plans to further existing collaborations with Fortnite. The battle royale-style game previously introduced skins and storylines inspired by Star Wars and Marvel.
Are you participating in the Fortnite x Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration? Share your thoughts on the partnership with Inside the Magic in the comments.