It’s been seven years since the last “Pirates of the Caribbean” arrived in theaters. And it sure does appear that a new film in the franchise is coming. Actually, there are two films in the works and both might actually get made. Sadly, if you’re a fan of Johnny Depp, then you’re out of luck.
According to a new EW interview with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the filmmaker talked about the current state of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. That is to say, he didn’t share any definitive news but did tease the hell out of what he could say.
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Basically, it’s quite simple. There are two ‘Pirates’ films that are in development right now. One is the Margot Robbie spinoff film that is apparently still in the works. The second is a real reboot of the franchise, written by Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the upcoming film, “The Young Woman and the Sea.” Of the two, it seems as if the latter is closest to arriving.
“It’s two different movies,” Bruckheimer explained. “We hope to get ’em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too.”
Bruckheimer added, about the second film, “I think [Jeff Nathanson has] cracked it. He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second and then we’ll get there. But he wrote a great, great third act.”
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As mentioned, it’s not likely that Johnny Depp will show up in either of the films. But according to Bruckheimer, that isn’t for lack of trying.
“It’s a reboot, but if it was up to me, he would be in it,” Bruckheimer said. “I love him. He’s a good friend. He’s an amazing artist and he’s a unique look.”
So, to recap–we have two ‘Pirates’ films in the works, and perhaps both will see the light of day. The reboot seems to be the one that is most likely to get made, but there’s still a Margot Robbie film that the studio is still high on. (It doesn’t hurt that Robbie scored the biggest film of 2023 with “Barbie.”) When will we see either or both of them? That much is still unknown.