Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean reboot has been officially canceled – so what does Disney have in store for the franchise going forward?
A revival of Pirates of the Caribbean starring Margot Robbie was in development at Disney for a while, but the movie has been officially canceled, raising questions about where the franchise is headed. After Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Margot Robbie was brought on to lead the franchise in an all-new film, replacing Johnny Depp amidst his controversy. Now that Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean movie has been officially canceled, it could signal a change in direction for Disney’s swashbuckling series.
Granted, the cancelation of a new entry in one of Disney’s most profitable franchises was most likely not made on a whim. Starting in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Johnny Depp-lead franchise based on the ride of the same name has been a massive hit for Disney, spawning five films total. Although some of the series’ main actors have left throughout the course of the movies, notably Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow has remained the face of the franchise. Disney’s decision to reboot Pirates with Margot Robbie was understandable due to the success of the movies. Still, for several reasons, it seems that the film just didn’t work out, leaving the future of the franchise in serious doubt.
As recently as May 2022, Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean reboot seemed to still be in active development, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirming that two scripts for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 were in development. However, Margot Robbie confirmed Pirates was canceled in a November 2022 Vanity Fair interview, saying, “We had an idea, and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led—not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story—which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it.” Although she doesn’t go into specifics, Margot Robbie’s comments, along with Bruckheimer’s early updates, imply exactly how Disney is viewing the continuation, as well as why they canceled it.
Margot Robbie’s Vanity Fair interview suggests that even she isn’t sure why Disney canceled the film, only being able to guess that they didn’t want to move forward with it. However, Bruckheimer’s mentioning of two separate Pirates of the Caribbean 6 scripts has led to some speculation online. It’s possible that Disney’s two different versions could have something to do with Johnny Depp: one version with him, and one without him, the latter being the Margot Robbie movie. The reboot’s cancelation could be a sign that Disney is returning to the original formula, although this all remains speculation until something is officially announced.
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