The new Pirates of the Caribbean reboot seems to be buried in a dead man’s chest, with Disney still looking for a way to open it. The film series that has been successfully adapted from a Disneyland theme park ride with a total of five films is one of the most lucrative franchises for the House of Mouse. It stands to reason that the studio is itching to revive it in some form. However, one of the tougher bumps to get over is the status of the star that has been associated with the series, Johnny Depp. Depp has been through a very public trial with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, which has tarnished his public image no matter where you stand.
MovieWeb reports on the New York Time‘s recent interview with Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey, who hopes to get a reboot or sequel greenlit soon. “We think we have a really good, exciting story that honors the films that have come before but also has something new to say.” Disney has been kicking around several ideas for a follow-up for years. When inquired about Johnny Depp being involved as the iconic Jack Sparrow, Bailey simply said he was “noncommittal at this point.”
The famed action producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, revealed late last year that they had simultaneous plans for an entry that would star Margot Robbie and an entry that would feature a younger cast. “We have a very good script. We developed two of them — the one with Margot Robbie and one with a younger cast. The Margot Robbie one needs a little more work. The younger cast one is close. Hopefully we’ll get both of them.” Robbie herself had thought that Disney dropped her project altogether, but Bruckheimer insists that it still has a heartbeat, “It’s alive for me. It’s alive for Disney. I’m sure she was disappointed it didn’t go first — or maybe not because she’s very busy, so it might be a blessing to push this a bit. We believe we’ll get it made. It’s a very strong story.”
Neither project Bruckheimer addressed specifically pointed out that Jack Sparrow was involved, but the producer does want to bring Depp back. “Johnny is another friend and an amazing artist. You go through things in life that you wish you hadn’t…He’s still a talented artist…He’s just so good at what he does and actors recover from things like this. He’s a good individual and he’s a caring individual. He’s somebody that you can rely on and he’s just terrific. I think Johnny is an utter friend and an amazing artist and, again, you go through things in life you wish you hadn’t, but he’s still a talented artist.”