Not only is Pirates of the Caribbean 6 on the way, it will be as strange as the series ever was according to screenwriter Craig Mazin. In a recent roundtable discussion hosted by The Los Angeles Times, Mazin revealed that he and writer Ted Elliott had successfully pitched a Pirates sequel to Disney. He admitted that he was surprised the studio ordered their movie without making them tone down the “weird” elements.
“We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird,” said Mazin. “And they did! And then [Elliott] wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around.” Mazin has a legendary career writing blockbuster movies, but he has never worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise before. Elliott, on the other hand, co-wrote the first four movies in the series. So far, there is no word on whether Johnny Depp will return for the movie Mazin and Elliott have put together. Based on everything we’ve heard so far, Depp is neither off the table nor guaranteed to make an appearance.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Pirates of the Caribbean premiered in 2003, loosely adapted from the Disney theme park ride by the same name. It starred Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, both of whom are consumed by wanderlust and wind up adventuring with pirates. However, the movies really centered on Depp’s Captain Sparrow, a swaggering scoundrel with a heart of gold. The sequels premiered in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2017 before dwindling to a halt.
Since then, the future of the franchise has been uncertain – not least of all because of the controversy surrounding Depp. Back in 2020, Disney announced plans for a spin-off starring Margot Robbie, regarded by some as a “soft reboot.” In November of 2022 Robbie told Vanity Fair that this project was dead, saying that the story “would’ve been really cool. But I guess they don’t want to do it.” A few weeks later, producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Collider that the spin-off was still on the table, but that Mazin and Elliott’s movie will come first.
Bruckheimer also seems to have the most recent word on Depp. Disney removed Depp from the franchise while his legal issues with his ex-wife Amber Heard were worked out, and the actor made some public statements indicating that he had a strained relationship with the company. However, in May of this year Bruckheimer told Entertainment Tonight that he is hoping to get Depp back in the series moving forward.
Writing on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise can now resume, but production is on hold along with the rest of Hollywood as the SAG-AFTRA strike continues. For now, the five previous movies are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
