While most of Disney’s newer movies and TV shows have headed to Disney+ almost immediately, some franchises have taken longer to complete that transition than others. Case in point: the hugely-successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is finally all in one place today, September 10, with the addition of the franchise’s fourth installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The franchise, which starred Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Kiera Knightley, launched in 2003, and ran over the course of five movies until 2017. A sixth movie, rumored to be set in the same world but based on the adventures of a different group of characters, is currently in development.
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The new franchise will reportedly swap out Johnny Depp as the lead pirate, replacing him with a new character played by Margot Robbie. Without confirming the rumors, Robbie said in a recent podcast interview that there are discussions in place.
When asked if Robbie would star in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Robbie said, “Maybe. It’s early days. I shan’t say no more…for now.”
Robbie most recently appeared in The Suicide Squad, reprising her role as Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Her upcoming projects include a Barbie movie.
Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer reportedly attempted to make the cameo happen in the new film, but Disney balked. While some will surely point to his recent reputation in the public as the reason Disney wants to avoid a Depp cameo, this is likely compounded by the major studio wanting to entirely revive the franchise with an all-new approach, rather than approach it as any sort of spinoff.
The checkered past of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) catches up to him when he encounters Angelica (Penélope Cruz), a beautiful pirate that Jack once loved then left. Angelica forces him to accompany her to the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the notorious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Accompanied by a zombie crew, the trio sets sail to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. However, Jack’s rival, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), also seeks the fountain, as does a ship from Spain.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was originally released in 2011. The film (and the rest of the Pirates franchise) is now available on Disney+.
Note: A previous version of this story misidentified Margot Robbie as Samara Weaving. We regret any confusion this might have caused.
