Pirates 6 Is Setting Sail as Jerry Bruckheimer Teases Production — Is Johnny Depp Back On Board?
Jerry Bruckheimer says Pirates 6 is finally setting sail, with Top Gun Maverick and F1 sequels also charted — but will Johnny Depp be back aboard?
Pirates of the Caribbean might actually hoist the sails again. Jerry Bruckheimer is still out there doing Jerry Bruckheimer things — quietly pushing massive projects forward — and he just casually said Pirates 6 is in the mix while juggling more Top Gun and F1 on his slate. No big pronouncements, no grand reveal, just a classic Bruckheimer name-drop that says more by saying almost nothing.
What he said (and what he didn’t)
Pressed on what is next, Bruckheimer told Variety they are developing another Top Gun, they hope to make another F1, and yes, they are working on another Pirates. That’s basically the update: it exists, it is active, and they want to make it happen. (Also, him already talking about another F1 before the first one even hits theaters is very Hollywood.)
Where Pirates 6 stands right now
It is still the 'we’re working on it' phase. Bruckheimer has said in recent months that a script is underway and the priority is getting it right before they roll cameras. The plan, as he described it, is to introduce new characters while also bringing back some familiar faces. Translation: a refresh without pretending the last 20 years never happened.
The Depp question
Bruckheimer has made it clear he thinks Johnny Depp could return as Captain Jack Sparrow after largely stepping away from Hollywood for a while. It isn’t a done deal and there is no announcement — this is about interest, not contracts — but Bruckheimer sounded confident the door is open if the script hits the right notes.
'If he likes the way the part's written, I think he would do it. It's all about what's on the page, as we all know.'
Reality check: the box office wake left by the last two
The franchise is still a monster on paper: five movies, $4.52 billion worldwide. But the last lap in North America was choppier. 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales cost less than the notoriously pricey On Stranger Tides (that one carried an eye-watering $379 million budget and is still among the most expensive movies ever made), yet Dead Men Tell No Tales only mustered $173 million domestically. That marked the second Pirates movie in a row that did not cover its production budget from North American box office alone. Globally, these films are juggernauts, but at home the trend has clearly cooled.
So what actually gets this ship moving?
From the way Bruckheimer is talking, it all hinges on the script. New blood, a couple of returning favorites, and maybe — maybe — the full Jack Sparrow comeback if the page is right. If they nail that, the audience that made this thing a $4.52 billion behemoth might climb back aboard. If not, well, even pirate legends can drift.
What would make you buy a ticket for Pirates 6? Fresh crew, old faces, or nothing short of Depp back in the hat? Does this franchise still have sea legs, or is it time to walk the plank?