Disney might have cancelled its 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' reboot

Yo-oh-no, it looks like the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise is dead in the water, following the news that writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have walked the plank.

Yep, the writing geniuses behind Deadpool were excited about the responsibility of giving the Pirates movies a much-needed kiss of life, and Disney film production chief Paul Bailey was as enthusiastic, saying the team was going to “make Pirates punk rock again” and give the series a “kick in the pants.”

Still, there’s nothing more punk rock than walking off stage before you’ve played a single note, so maybe Reese & Wernick were taking Bailey’s wishes too literally. Deadline is reporting that the pair are no longer working on the film.

Whatever the reason for their exit, Disney will be back to the map room in terms of working out how to make a new Pirates movie without Jack Sparrow, with some insiders claiming that the studio doesn’t fancy the challenge.

These are very expensive movies to make, and with Johnny Depp swaggering off the ship, they’ve suddenly become even more risky.

Still, the returns are attractive – with both Pirates 2 (2006) and Pirates 3 (2007) topping the global box office in their years of release. Of course, the franchise hasn’t been the same since, with the most-recent effort, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales (2017) a series-low.

There’s talk of Disney changing direction completely, turning the property into a television series.

Despite some doubters claiming it’s too pricey for telly, we’d counter with the fact Disney is making some hugely expensive shows for their Disney+ streaming service, and a Pirates series would fit nicely alongside the studio’s Star Wars and Marvel shows.

Whatever happens, the toughest job will be finding a captain as compelling as Sparrow; but perhaps a TV prequel show, featuring a younger actor in the iconic eyeliner, could be the best way to solve that puzzle.

Read more
Amber Heard and Depp’s divorce testimonies unearthed
‘Rogue One’ star Diego Luna leads ‘Star Wars’ TV series
Falcon-Winter Soldier limited TV series in the works