Johnny Depp is rumored to suit up once more as Captain Jack Sparrow for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean 6 in 2025, with many believing things are a little more confirmed than they may be.
Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Gets New Poster
A new movie poster is making the rounds on the internet, particularly on Facebook, teasing not only that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is being made but that it will bring back Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.
The poster shows off Depp in his iconic pirate costume from the first five movies in the series, complete with his hat and dreadlocks, as flames burn behind him. Above Depp, his name is listed next to Hector Barbossa star Geoffrey Rush above a title card reading Pirates of the Caribbean: Demons of the Corsair.
The sequel is also seemingly being set up for a 2025 release date at the very bottom of the image.
The post included a synopsis for the potential Pirates of the Caribbean 6, teasing Depp and Rush's returns under longtime franchise director Gore Verbinski and bracing fans for "heart-stopping action, treacherous waters, and supernatural encounters."
This poster and movie can easily be debunked as fake, particularly since the page sharing it is known for being satirical and creating fake movie posters. However, that doesn't mean that a sixth Pirates movie won't happen.
Variety reported in October 2019 that The Last of Us creator/writer Craig Mazin was developing a Pirates reboot, although no major updates have been made public since then.
Mazin told the Los Angeles Times in August 2023 that Disney bought the script for the new movie, although he made it clear he wants to work with original franchise writer Ted Elliott, who wrote the first three Pirates films:
"We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did!. And then he wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around."
As for Depp's return, producer Jerry Bruckheimer remarked in a 2022 conversation with The Wrap that, "at this point," it was unlikely Depp would play his iconic role again:
"Not at this point. The future is yet to be decided."
Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey offered a similar quote with the New York Times in June 2023, noting the studio was "noncommittal at this point" regarding Depp's comeback.
Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer also told Entertainment Tonight at the 2023 Academy Awards the team is working on a new Pirates script, expressing that he thinks they are "gonna have a great screenplay:"
"We’re all working on it, we’ll see how it comes out. We’re very excited, I think we’re gonna have a great screenplay, and I think we’re getting close."
Speaking specifically on Depp coming back, as much as he wants to have the original Pirates star in the movie, he couldn't reveal any information at that time:
"We’ll see, I would love it. I would love to have him in the movie, that’s all I can tell you."
While Johnny Depp has not been rumored to come back to his role, a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is making its way through the news stream, rumored to star Harley Quinn and Barbie actress Margot Robbie.
Unfortunately, in a Vanity Fair interview, via a Variety cover story in November 2022, Robbie bluntly told fans that the movie was dead, explaining that she wasn't sure if Disney wanted to do it in the end:
"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."
Will Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Actually Happen?
At this point, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise appears to be at a standstill, with Robbie noting that her movie was dead and Depp and Disney not having reunited for any talks of a continuation.
Via Vulture, an offer for Depp to return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 was made, which would have paid him approximately $22.5 million in salary.
However, due to the public controversy between him and ex-wife Amber Heard surrounding the former couple's domestic violence court case, that offer was rescinded and Depp lost out on numerous movie appearances.
So, unless fans hear about any kind of reconciliation between Depp and Disney or any more news about whether Pirates of the Caribbean 6 could see life again, the project should be considered not in active development.
The first five Pirates of the Caribbean movies are available to stream on Disney+.
