Disney Surprises Writers, Buys ‘Weird’ ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ Script
Is The Walt Disney Company’s Pirates of the Caribbean film saga not one of the most dominating movie franchises in the world?
The entertainment entity may owe that success to actor Johnny Depp for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow or to fans’ love for the classic Disney Parks ride-inspired world – either way, Disney won’t squander a chance to capitalize on that windfall. In its dedication to profit, Disney has reportedly bought a script for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 that the writers themselves describe as “too weird.”
Craig Mazin, co-creator of HBO’s Emmy-nominated The Last of Us and experienced Hollywood screenwriter, told the Los Angeles Times that he never thought Disney would purchase the script. With Ted Elliott, the co-writer of Pirates’ Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), and On Stranger Tides (2011), Mazin “pitched it and thought there’s no way [Disney is] buying it – it’s too weird.”
The pair were happily surprised when, despite the alleged weirdness, Disney purchased the idea anyway. Mazin promises it is a “fantastic script” that’s on hold until the entertainment labor strikes are settled.
Variety notes that Craig Mazin and Ted Elliot’s proposed script is written as the official sixth movie in the film series. For a while, there was a possibility of a franchise reboot helmed by Barbie (2023) and Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (2020) star Margot Robbie and writer Christina Hodson. The reboot proposed “a different kind of story” that was mostly “female-led,” but it looks like Disney would rather keep going in chronological order.
Maybe Disney still doesn’t want to close the door on the slim chance of Johnny Depp’s return.
Anticipation is high for the newest installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Fans are making their own teaser trailers, and speculation on whether or not Johnny Depp will actually return as Jack Sparrow goes back and forth over the internet every day. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has already suggested it’s unlikely, as right now it is a “no.”
With a film series characterized by the skeleton curse on Geoffrey Rush’s Hector Barbossa, Davy Jones’ tentacled face, and Javier Bardem’s undead Captain Salazar, fans are interested to see what makes the script for the upcoming Pirates 6 film so “weird.”
I don’t know about you, but I think Johnny Depp has done his time. Let’s get Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom back as Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner please!
