Pirates of the Caribbean is one of Disney’s most successful live-action franchises, which makes it more than a little surprising that we haven’t seen an entry in the series in eight years. That hasn’t been for lack of trying, as there have been multiple scripts in development for the series at different points. One of those scripts might see the return of Johnny Depp, and another, that we thought was dead, would have starred Margot Robbie.
The most recent comments, from both Margot Robbie herself and franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer, were that the project was, if not dead, on the back burner, but now it appears that may not entirely be the case.
What Margot Robbie Said About Her Pirates Of The Caribbean Movie
Back in 2020, three years after the last PotC movie and two years after Disney reportedly decided to move forward with the franchise without Johnny Depp, there were reportedly two different Pirates movies in development at Disney, one was believed to have been more of a direct sequel to the previous films, with writers Ted Elliot and Craig Mazin attached. The other would have rebooted the franchise, starring Margot Robbie and written by her Birds of Prey scribe, Christina Hodson.
At some point, Disney decided to move forward with the first script, not the one Robbie was involved in. While the actress and producer has never said a great deal about what that movie would have been, she did confirm its existence, as well as its apparent demise back in 2022, 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.
Later comments from producer Jerry Bruckheimer seemed to indicate that Robbie’s project wasn’t entirely dead and might still happen down the road. At that point, the case was that the other movie would happen first, but considering we’ve heard nothing about it in years, and that Disney has yet to produce any Pirates of the Caribbean follow-up in the ensuing years, the project certainly seemed over.
What Jerry Bruckheimer Is Now Saying About Robbie’s Future In the Franchise
But that may not actually be the case. In a recent conversation with The Wrap, when Jerry Bruckheimer was asked about the status of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and Margot Robbie’s involvement specifically, he said:
She’s still involved.
This was reportedly in reference to the upcoming film, which was written by franchise scribe Ted Elliot, but is reportedly undergoing rewrites from an unnamed screenwriter.
So now it appears that Margot Robbie is part of the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie after all. That said, the word “involved” covers a lot of ground. It could mean that plans are for her to play a role in the film, possibly even the lead, but it could also mean that she’s involved as a producer.
Robbie’s LuckyChap Productions has also been previously attached to another Disney movie based on a theme park ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. However, that’s another project we haven’t heard much about in a while.
At this point, the only thing that’s clear about the future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is that very little is clear. As a fan, I’m certainly looking forward to getting something soon, and as a fan of Margot Robbie, I’m up for whatever part she may play in the franchise’s future.