Pirates of the Caribbean has become an extremely successful movie franchise, so much so that even those who have not watched the films are aware of its lead character, the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow. Starting merely as an adaptation of a theme park ride carrying the same name, Pirates of the Caribbean soon grew into a popular and much-loved franchise with fans across the world. The first film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, was released in 2003, with sequels being released in 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2017. While viewership fell off considerably in the later films, everybody still seems to love Captain Jack.

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The sixth installment of the franchise was announced in 2018. However, despite the many years that have passed, substantial information regarding the movie is scarce. Progress on the film could have been hindered by several things: Depp’s resistance to playing Jack Sparrow, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Amber Heard defamation trial. In the meantime, fans have generated an abundance of rumors and speculations. Despite Depp saying that it will take “a million alpacas” to get him to play Jack Sparrow again, fans seem to want him back anyway. Fan art has flooded the internet, confusing people as to whether he is actually going to star in the movie or not.

But it seems that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will be going in a different direction. Here’s all we know about the latest installment.

Updated August 2022 by Ted Bajer: If you’re looking for more information about the Pirates of the Caribbean 6, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve added an update to this article.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6: The Plot

     Walt Disney Studios

Disney has tapped Christina Hodson from Birds of Prey to write Pirates 6. Though responsibility for the script has been shaky in the past, having changed hands in 2019 from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to Craig Mazin and Ted Elliot, things seem to be coming together now.

Based on rumors of the cast, now reinforced by hiring Hudson as a writer, Disney seems to be creating a female-led Pirates movie. In search of a plot with this tidbit of information as a clue, fans went back to the source to look for a possible story. On the theme park ride, Redd, a redheaded female pirate, was initially a captive bride being sold at auction. However, after some changes were made to the ride, she became a pirate auctioning off goods she stole from the village.

While the sixth movie might follow Redd’s story, the chances of this narrative taking hold are debatable, considering how little evidence we have to go on. The film could follow a reboot route similar to Ghostbusters or Ocean’s 8, but neither of these movies were very successful. The franchise would also face unique difficulties if it decided to continue the sequel storyline. Dead Men Tell No Tales featured a post-credits scene with Davy Jones. Although Will believes that Jones appears to him in a nightmare, viewers are made privy to the knowledge that Jones was actually in the room through the camera zooming to show barnacles on the floor. Therefore, the sixth movie may revolve around the tentacled character.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6: The Cast

A cast for the movie has not yet been confirmed. However, Kaya Scodelario, who played Carina Barbossa in Dead Men Tell No Tales, has stated that she is contractually bound to appear in one more Pirates of the Caribbean film. Therefore, we expect to see the actress in the franchise’s latest installment. Perhaps the plot of the movie could even follow her story.

Other than Scodelario, only educated guesses can be made about who may be a part of the latest movie. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley may make a return. And Brenton Thwaites, who plays Henry, the love interest of Carina Barbossa, might be seen as well. Rumor also has it that Disney, in looking to include more female leads, has been considering Guardians of the Galaxy actress Karen Gillan and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson.

Currently, though, all signs point to Margot Robbie. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in a statement that they were having conversations with her. But her casting is still tenuous at best. Bruckheimer also said that the studio was writing two scripts, one with Robbie and one without. Though she could never replace Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, if the story ever needed to follow an eccentric pirate with strange but somehow brilliant plans, who better to become that brash buccaneer than Margot Robbie? It would be pretty fun to see Harley Quinn sail the seven seas.

Will Johnny Depp Return to the Franchise?

Whether or not Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow will return has been a burning question for many. Fan opinion has been divided, with some vehemently opposing the return of Depp while others refuse to see a movie without their adored character. Depp has been surrounded by a multitude of legal and personal troubles since being accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife Amber Heard. Although he seems to have come out of the trial on top, his career and reputation are more fragile now.

Production chief Sean Bailey indicated in 2018 that Depp might not be a part of the new film. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, when asked if the franchise could survive without Johnny Depp, Bailey responded,

Entertainment Weekly reported that Depp, talking of the franchise during legal proceedings, has confirmed that Disney has cut ties with him. Depp reiterated that nothing on this earth would get him to go back to Disney and said, “there was a deep and distinct sense of feeling betrayed by the people that I’ve worked hard for. People that I delivered a character to that they initially despised, but I stuck to my guns with the character, and it seemed to work." However, Depp has also expressed his regret over not being able to give the franchise a proper goodbye.

“We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that’s what I’ve tasked them with.”

Release Date

There is no official release date for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 as of early August 2022. Though there are not a lot of details to go on, the movie does seem to be coming together. Disney seems to have a plan for the film despite what news may lie ahead. Two scripts in the works mean there’s a backup plan in case the studio doesn’t get what they want. And a backup plan usually means that this movie is going to get made, one way or another.