Disney’s long-awaited Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will see the return of some familiar faces, franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed.
Various plans for a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie have been floated ever since the series’ fifth entry, Dead Men Tell No Tales, launched back in 2017. But a lukewarm reception to that film and then a series of lengthy legal issues for Captain Jack Sparrow actor Johnny Depp have resulted in the franchise being stuck in the doldrums.
Now, however, plans appear to finally be coalescing around the idea of a fresh Pirates of the Caribbean story featuring a mix of new and returning characters — though which old favourites will return remains to be seen.
Speaking earlier this month on British chat show This Morning, Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom said he was open to returning as blacksmith-turned-rogue hearthrob Will Turner, after sailing off into the sunset with Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann back in 2007’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
A decade later, Bloom and Knightley both made cameo appearances in Dead Men Tell No Tales’ brief post-credits scene, setting up a possible full return in the future — though as the years passed, fans have since begun to doubt whether this teaser would ever be picked up on.
“Well, I don’t know, I can’t say anything at the moment because I really don’t know, but there’s definitely availability,” Bloom said this month (thanks, Game Rant).
“I think they’re trying to work out what it would all look like, I personally think it’d be great to get the band back together. That would be great, but there are always different ideas, and so we’ll see where it lands.”
An array of different concepts for possible future Pirates films has been touted over the years, with reports of Disney exploring all manner of options. These have variously been said to star classic characters, all-new casts, act as a full reboot or offer a spin-off tale made while the series’ main storyline was rested.
A key issue has been the status of Johnny Depp, who previously said he had no desire to return as Captain Jack Sparrow after Disney cut ties with the actor during a string of legal issues.
In 2018, Depp lost a libel case he lodged against the UK publisher of The Sun newspaper over an article which characterised him as having been violent towards his former wife Amber Heard. The following year, Depp then successfully sued Heard for defamation over an article written by her in The Washington Post, the publication of which, Depp claimed, had led to Disney refusing to work with him.
But as the years have passed, and Depp has again begun picking up projects elsewhere, Pirates of the Caribbean boss Bruckheimer has since stated he was now keen for Depp to return. Last year, Fortnite hosted a major Pirates of the Caribbean crossover — and it was telling that the series’ classic characters of Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann, and Captain Barbossa were the ones featured as in-game skins.
Now, speaking to Screen Rant, Bruckheimer has confirmed “some” previous Pirates of the Caribbean actors will indeed be back for the next installment, despite the movie still offering “a new take” on the franchise overall.
When asked whether a new take meant an all-new cast, Bruckheimer replied: “Well, not all new actors. We’ll have some back… I’m not going to tell you which ones — you’ll have to guess.”
Will that include Depp? For now, Disney’s not saying — and, as yet, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 still currently lacks any kind of formal announcement or release date.
Photo credit: TERTIUS PICKARD/AFP via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
