The Pirates of the Caribbean movies have been some of Disney’s most successful live-action films that aren’t called Marvel or Star Wars. For that reason, it’s not exactly a shock that there have been plans to make more of them. However, it’s clearly been difficult to do so. The project has been in development for years, and there are reportedly multiple scripts being worked on.
One of the big questions fans have is whether or not Johnny Depp will return as Captain Jack Sparrow. Initially, it was reported that the franchise was moving on without him. However, producer Jerry Bruckheimer wants him back, and one version of a potential script would apparently include him in a major role. However, there’s another franchise return I would love to see even more in director Gore Verbinski. Unfortunately, he tells ScreenRant that he doesn’t have much interest in returning. He said…
I wish them the best. I just don't have anything. I feel like I did three and, for me, it was a great opportunity to learn and to try something. I think we have to be at a place where the wheels are about to fall off. I think once you kind of know how to do something, it becomes less interesting or less dangerous. There's just so little time, and there are so many stories to tell.
Whatever else happens with the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the choice of who directs is going to be a key one, and honestly, going back to the beginning and grabbing Gore Verbinski wouldn’t be a terrible choice. He’s proven he can do it, though it appears that’s exactly why he doesn’t want to do it. He seems more interested in new challenges than old ones.
Gore Verbinski directed the original Pirates of the Caribbean film, which was a smash success. This led to him returning to helm the next two sequels, which were filmed back-to-back. While I don’t think any movie in the series holds a candle to the original, the trilogy is still pretty solid and far better than the two sequels that followed it.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was directed by Rob Marshall, who has shown in recent years that he belongs behind big musicals, as he had much better success at Disney with Mary Poppins Returns and the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The most recent film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was helmed by Joachim Rønning, who has since gone on to direct other Disney sequels with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Tron: Ares.
Of course, before Disney can find a director, it has to find a script, and that’s apparently been the sticking point for this franchise for nearly a decade. Multiple writing teams have worked on ideas over the years. High-profile projects, including one that could star Margot Robbie, have been worked on, and while that project may not be as dead as we once thought, a different script is apparently the one being focused on now. Perhaps Disney’s new Chief Creative Officer can help figure out how to get these pirates sailing again.
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