Pirates of the Caribbean: Disney Potentially Eyeing Karen Gillan for Lead Role in Reboot

There have been reports of a new direction for Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise ever since its fifth installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, arrived in theaters three years ago. It makes sense that Disney wants more of the swashbuckling series, even if the storyline with Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow has grown incredibly stale. Even as the reviews for the most recent films became worse, the money still poured in, with Dead Men Tell No Tales raking in nearly $800 million at the global box office. The Pirates movies will continue, but a fresh face will be needed to breathe life back into its narrative. It looks like Disney has its sights set on budding mega-star Karen Gillan for the job.

According to a report from The Disinsider, the site that was first to break the news about the live-action Hercules project, Disney is eyeing Karen Gillan for the lead role in the new Pirates project from writers Craig Mazin and Ted Elliot. It has been long rumored that the new Pirates films could follow Redd, the female pirate that now appears in the classic Disney ride, and Gillan would fit that role perfectly.

Gillan has worked with Disney for a few years now, portraying Nebula in both Guardians of the Galaxy films, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame. She has also helped lead Sony’s ultra-successful Jumanji reboot franchise. She’s proven herself in big budget blockbusters already, so giving her the lead role in one makes all the sense in the world.

The Disninsider‘s report also states that other actors are being considered for a leading role in the film, including women of color, so it doesn’t sound like the job belongs to Gillan just yet. That said, if they’re hoping to have Redd lead Pirates of the Caribbean back to box office success, there may not be a better fit than Gillan.

It also seems like Disney is confident enough in Pirates that it will be making the new film for a theatrical release, rather than for Disney+, as has been previously rumored. Given the franchise’s history at the box office, it should absolutely be headed for a theatrical release. Of the five exiting Pirates movies, the first installment was the only one to earn less than $700 million globally. In other words, this franchise has long been profitable, and it will likely continue to be in the future.

Would you like to see Karen Gillan leading the new Pirates of the Caribbean franchise? Let us know in the comments!