As the Johnny Depp defamation trial drama continues to be hashed out in the media and on the internet, there has been an update on Disney‘s “Pirates of The Caribbean” franchise from longtime producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Previous reports have been confirmed by Bruckheimer that the studio is keen on adding Oscar-nominee Margot Robbie (“Barbie“) as a new potential lead.
The mega-producer spoke with the Sunday Times recently to promote the upcoming release of “Top Gun: Maverick” later this month, revealing that not only is Robbie involved and in talks, but that they have two scripts in the works, one with the Aussie actress and one without.
“We’re talking to Margot Robbie. We are developing two ‘Pirates’ scripts — one with her, one without,” Bruckheimer said.
Back in 2020, it was reported by THR that screenwriter Christina Hodson (“Birds of Prey,” “Batgirl“) was writing a ‘Pirates’ project meant for Robbie separate from the reboot that writer Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl,” “The Last of Us“) was developing. The two projects were said at the time to be completely different and Bruckheimer’s update would confirm this.
Robbie is currently shooting Greta Gerwig‘s live-action “Barbie” movie that is slated to be released next July.
If you’re expecting a big return from Depp you might be disappointed. Bruckheimer reiterated to the outlet that there are no plans for Depp to appear as Jack Sparrow for yet-to-be-greenlit “Pirates of The Caribbean 6.”
“Not at this point,” he said, but the producer added, “The future is yet to be decided.”
Disney released “Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” back in 2017, but saw a steep $200 million-plus drop at the global box office from “On Stranger Tides.” Not surprising given the waning interest of audiences alongside Depp’s domestic abuse allegations being made public. The studio attempting to revitalize the billion-dollar franchise makes sense from a business standpoint but it remains to be seen if the development of these scripts ever leads to a film being shot, just like with Jared Leto‘s “Tron 3.”