Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Charts New Course With Fresh Writer and a Left-Field Character
Disney has finally hoisted the flag on Pirates of the Caribbean 6, with a new writer aboard and a surprising new lead teased — the boldest push yet to revive the swashbuckling saga after flirtations with a Margot Robbie–led spin-off.
Looks like the Black Pearl might actually set sail again. The latest chatter says Disney is moving Pirates of the Caribbean 6 forward, and the pieces they are lining up are interesting.
What changed
The word making the rounds: Disney higher-ups want Pirates back in the mix and are actively pushing a new installment. Krysty Wilson-Cairns, the Oscar-nominated co-writer of 1917, is in talks to write the script. That is a real swing-for-the-fences hire for a franchise that has struggled to find its next chapter.
Who we might be following this time
This version is being described as a reboot/Part 6 hybrid, with the hook reportedly centered on two leads: Jack Sparrow's son and a new female protagonist. The plan, as pitched, is to introduce an original, capital-I Iconic character with a punk-rock edge — think the swagger of Jack Sparrow collided with the couture chaos of Cruella. Margot Robbie, who was once attached to a separate Pirates spin-off, is now expected to be in the mix to anchor this mainline adventure instead.
And what about Jack?
Last year brought rumblings that Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow could be back in a supporting capacity for this sixth outing. Where that stands today is unclear. If the studio does bring him in, it sounds like the focus still shifts to new blood driving the story.
Behind the scenes
Jerry Bruckheimer remains at the helm as producer, and he has been blunt about the franchise's marching orders: no great script, no movie.
"We are working on a script. If we don't have it on the page, it's not gonna get on the screen."
He has also said there were two separate scripts in play at one point before one was dropped and the team committed to the other.
"We had two scripts at one point, and then one kind of dropped out, and we kind of went with the other one."
Where the script stands
Before Wilson-Cairns entered talks, franchise veteran Ted Elliott took a pass on the most recent draft. If Wilson-Cairns closes her deal, expect the tone to shift toward high-adventure with a sharper, character-driven engine — exactly what this series needs if it is going to outgrow the 'just add more Jack' era.
Bottom line: call it a reboot, call it Part 6 — if Disney threads this needle with a fresh duo (and maybe a dash of Sparrow), Pirates might finally have its course charted again.