Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Gets an Unexpected Update (& It’s Exciting)

For over two decades, Pirates of the Caribbean has been one of the premier film franchises under Disney’s roof, but it’s been eight years since fans were last treated to a new installment. In the time since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, there have been various attempts to get another film off the ground, but nothing has come to fruition yet. One of the more intriguing projects in development was a reboot that would see Oscar nominee Margot Robbie star. Due to the lack of concrete updates, some might have presumed that movie was no longer on the table, but it appears it’s still under consideration.

Speaking with The Wrap, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer provided an update on the next film’s progress. “We had two scripts at one point, and then one kind of dropped out and we kind of went with the other one,” he said. “[Margot Robbie’s] still involved … [Pirates of the Caribbean veteran Ted Elliott] worked on [the script], and we’ve brought someone else in to fill in the blanks.

Margot Robbie’s Reboot Could Give Pirates of the Caribbean a Fresh Start

As Disney figures out what to do with Pirates of the Caribbean 6, there’s been a lot of discussion about Johnny Depp’s potential return. The actor, of course, headlined the franchise’s first five films as the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow, and it’s difficult for some to envision a new Pirates movie without his involvement. For what it’s worth, Bruckheimer is open to working with Depp again, and he believes Depp would sign on if he likes the script. Given Jack Sparrow’s popularity and his status as the face of the franchise, it’s easy to understand why there’s a willingness to bring Depp back, but it could be for the best if the filmmakers turn the page.

If the idea is to reboot Pirates of the Caribbean, building a series around a new star could be the way to go, giving the property a fresh start after a prolonged absence. Robbie is more than capable of following Depp’s footsteps as the main franchise lead. While she is coming off a box office flop in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, she has numerous hits on her résumé, including the $1 billion blockbuster Barbie. She was also a standout in multiple DC Extended Universe films as Harley Quinn, so she wouldn’t be out of her element if she was asked to carry a studio tentpole.

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New energy in the form of Robbie could also get Pirates of the Caribbean back on track in terms of critical reception. The last two movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales were poorly received (33% and 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively), which led to diminishing returns at the box office. After On Stranger Tides posted over $1 billion worldwide, Dead Men Tell No Tales fell to $794.8 million. That’s still an impressive sum, but it’s the smallest haul for a Pirates film since the franchise’s first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl. Disney doesn’t want to bring Pirates back for just a one-off, and if the reboot is widely panned, it could kill interest in future installments. As beloved as Jack Sparrow is, critics seemed to grow tired of Depp’s schtick as the series went on, feeling the character devolved from charming scallywag to self-parody.

With only one new Pirates movie in development now — seemingly the one Robbie has been involved with — it would appear the filmmakers have made the decision to go the route of a hard reboot centered around a new character. There’s nothing stopping Bruckheimer and Co. from bringing back Depp to star alongside Robbie, but that would create a situation where Jack Sparrow completely overshadows Robbie’s new pirate. Hopefully the script comes together soon and fans get a better idea of what they can expect moving forward.

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