News of Margot Robbie starring in a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie dropped in June but since then, info has been pretty scarce. What we do know is that it will be separate from the core movies that have been released so far and it will focus on new characters and new plots. We also know that Christina Hodson, who penned Robbie’s solo Harley Quinn movie, BIRDS OF PREY, is taking on screenwriting duties. Now, during an interview with Collider, Robbie has teased her collaboration with Hodson on the new PIRATES project.
Robbie was quick to say that she couldn’t reveal much but she said there will be “a lot of girl power” and that it’s all in the early development stage:
“A lot of girl power. It’s too early to talk about it but I appreciate that you’re psyched on the combo. I love Christina obviously. I’m not a producer on Pirates, so I’ll sit back and kind of wait for the process the way you’re allowed to do as an actor, which is nice. I don’t have to stress about it just yet. We’re really, really excited at the prospect of kind of adding a very key female element to that world.”
Since Robbie isn’t a producer on the project like she was on BIRDS OF PREY, it makes sense that she’s being a bit careful about what she can and can’t say. The female element is probably going to get a mixed response from fans. I know some that think the female characters in the previous PIRATES movies were more eye candy than driving plot focuses while others believe that some of the female roles were very well-rounded and developed. Either way, there is a lot that can be done with pirate movies. Perhaps Robbie means having a female element leading the film will make their take different and, if that’s so, it would make more sense that she hinted at the girl power aspect of what they’re attempting to do.
When this project was announced, I wondered if fans would accept a PIRATES film without Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, and even with his current professional and personal struggles, I still think it’s a tough sell without him. After five installments, I think the character has gotten stale but I know some diehard Johnny Deep and Jack Sparrow fans out there who can’t imagine the franchise without him. For those wanting Depp to still be involved, some reports say that this Robbie film will be its own entity while a sixth film, focusing on the core franchise with Depp, is still in the works.
What do YOU think of Margot Robbie’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN film?