Credit: Walt Disney PicturesAn exciting new state-of-the-art theme park inspired by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series is slated to open next year, and the new experience will put fans right into the action of the Pirates franchise.
According to the most recent updates about the new theme park, it’s clear that fans of the swashbuckling series who visit the new theme park will feel like they’re right there where all of the action of the Disney films take place.
And that’s because they will be. In fact, the new theme park will bring part of the Pirates franchise to dazzling life, possibly negating the need and desire of fans for a sixth film in the series.
No Sixth ‘Pirates’ Film From Disney Yet
When Disney’s fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film debuted at the box office in May 2017, it was another instant blockbuster for the scurvy franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales grossed an impressive $796 million at the global box office, solidifying its place in the franchise as well as among Disney’s most successful and popular films.
Immediately following the release of the fifth film in the Pirates series, fans began to talk about and look forward to a sixth installment, and at the time, they had little reason to think there wouldn’t be one.
Then, after the divorce of the film’s star, Johnny Depp, and his then-wife, actress Amber Heard, things related to the potential future of the franchise began to change. In 2017, the same year the fifth film debuted, Depp and Heard divorced, and a year later, Heard penned a seething opinion editorial piece for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a survivor of domestic abuse.
Though Heard never mentioned Depp’s name in the article, the piece was written in such a way as to allow readers to draw the conclusion that she had survived domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. But Heard’s accusations didn’t stop there.
Heard reportedly continued to perseverate lies about Depp being a violent spouse, and ultimately, her copious–but bogus–accusations led to the once in-demand Depp finding almost no new acting prospects.
A defamation suit would follow, but not before Walt Disney Pictures and Universal made the decision to shelve any future projects that involved Depp.
Though the jury returned its verdict in the 2022 case, finding that Amber Heard had defamed Johnny Depp’s name and that Depp had was not guilty of the claims Heard had made against him, Disney continues to refuse an apology to Depp and has yet to contact him about resuming the work of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with a sixth installment in the series.
But despite the desire by most Pirates fans to see a sixth film from Disney, a new theme park set to open in 2025 could satisfy that longing once and for all.
How About a Swashbuckling New Theme Park Instead?
A brand-new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed theme park is set to open in St. Vincent in the eastern Caribbean Sea. St. Vincent is located in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles west of Barbados and south of St. Lucia.
The new theme park will reportedly offer fans of the franchise an exciting and immersive experience on the very island upon which parts of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) were filmed. The park will be located at Wallilabou Bay and incorporate sets used in the production of the film, allowing fans to set foot on the shores of the world of Captain Jack himself.
What Will the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Theme Park Offer to Guests?
The theme park will feature state-of-the-art attractions. There will also be a restaurant, pool, and beach access, making the experience one for locals and tourists alike.
The design of the new theme park will be heavily inspired by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and efforts will be made to ensure that the park meets the highest of standards in an effort to boost the tourism industry in St. Vincent. The new project is expected to have a significant impact on the island’s tourism as it will particularly appeal to visitors who disembark from cruise ships in the area.
Cruise passengers have recently been flocking to St. Vincent in record numbers, and the new theme park will serve to continue this trend.
“Tourists and locals alike are expected to get a sense of the set used by Captain Jack Sparrow in the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean film, which was shot in Wallilabou, St. Vincent, by 2025,” reads an article about the new theme park in the St. Vincent Times.
Carlos James, Minister of Tourism in St. Vincent, says that construction of the new theme park will begin in 2024, and plans include an opening date sometime in 2025.
No Partnership With Disney?
Though anticipation of the new theme park is building among fans, it’s important to note that there has been no mention of a partnership between the theme park and Disney by the St. Vincent government or by The Walt Disney Company.
Further, there has been no talk of Disney selling licensing rights to the new theme park, which would allow the park to cash in on some of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise’s most lucrative elements, including Captain Jack Sparrow himself.
The new theme park will reportedly include a design concept that “will incorporate the Pirates of the Caribbean movie motif,” leading some fans to believe that the new experience will function as a pirates-themed park that draws inspiration from Disney’s swashbuckling film series, as well as the sets used in filming the five Pirates films.
But in a place where the adventures of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films come to life, the possibilities are endless. Though there’s never been a place like it, the new theme park promises to be a great alternative to a sixth Pirates film.