Credit: DisneyTwo former Pirates of the Caribbean stars have now voiced their thoughts about the franchise.
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Hollywood icon and star of multiple Pirates of the Caribbean films, Orlando Bloom, recently shared his support for his Pirates costar Keira Knightly, following the actress’s comments about the film franchise.
Last year, Knightly revealed she had struggled considerably due to the negative response to her performance in Disney’s incredibly successful Pirates films, prompting Orlando Bloom to go to bat, or rather sword, for the accomplished actress.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is one of Disney’s most successful to date, with the film series managing to dig up more than $4 billion at the box office in total. Of course, it all started with the original Pirates of the Caribbean film in 2003, which took heavy inspiration from Disney’s classic dark ride of the same name.
Disney has since used its theme park attractions for inspiration when it comes to live-action films, though none of these ventures have proven as memorable or as successful as Pirates of the Caribbean. Looking back, it’s clear that the film’s main cast was its biggest strength, with this bond seemingly remaining intact between Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly.
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Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Orlando Bloom said that he can sympathize with Knightly and her feelings toward the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
“It was such a huge moment in time that is almost like… it feels almost like another lifetime now,” Bloom explains. “But it certainly was unique and, you know, I’m always grateful. But I definitely understand where Keira was coming from, and she does wonderful things.… I have a lot of positive takeaways.”
Bloom starred as Will Turner, a humble blacksmith who had deep ties to the pirate world. Keira Knightly played Elizabeth Swan, and the two developed a romance that would define the 2010s.
Last November, Knightly shared her disappointing and troubling experience of starring in the Pirates franchise, saying she was “seen as s—” because of the movies.
“They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of, and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they’re a very confused place in my head.”
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As stated earlier, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, specifically the first three films, became a cultural phenomenon and generated hundreds of millions of dollars each at the box office, which begs the question: Will Disney make more?
Due to Johnny Depp’s incredibly long and tumultuous legal battle against his former partner Amber Heard, who had starred in blockbusting films herself, like DC’s Aquaman (2018), fans and the general public had assumed Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise had finally found itself shipwrecked.
The last installment in the franchise came in 2017 with Dead Men Tell No Tales, an exciting yet ultimately disappointing release that failed to capture the magic found in the first “core” three films.
However, last year, longtime Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer announced that Disney is now actually moving forward with a new Pirates of the Caribbean film. The plot, characters, and other details are still being kept locked in Disney’s treasure chest, but fans can seemingly expect to hear more news soon.
It’s unknown if Johnny Depp or any other key cast members like Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly will make an appearance in this upcoming Pirates outing.
Do you want to see more Pirates of the Caribbean films?