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Actress Jenna Ortega Hoists the Sails With Johnny Depp in New ‘Pirates 6’ Trailer

johnny depp jenna ortega
Credit: HM Studio/Disney/Canva

Amid rumors, speculation, and the earnest hopes of diehard fans of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series about when and if a sixth Pirates film will ever be released–and whether Johnny Depp will breathe life anew into Captain Jack Sparrow–a new trailer for the film has been released, giving some insight into a potential new member of the swashbuckling cast in the new film.

jack sparrow

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Nearly Seven Years and Counting . . . 

It’s been almost seven years since fans of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series have gotten excited over the upcoming release of one of the swashbuckling films rather than the mere rumor or prospect of one.

johnny depp pirates 5

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Disney’s most recent Pirates of the Caribbean installment, Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Kevin McNally and tells the story of Captain Jack Sparrow, who is searching for the Trident of Poseidon in an effort to ultimately defeat the ruthless pirate hunter, Armando Salazar, played by Javier Bardem. Salazar is a bloodthirsty savage looking to take revenge on Sparrow for putting him and his ghostly crew in prison in the Devil’s Triangle.

A Fantastic Advertising Stunt

The new film was such cause for celebration that Disney Parks pulled out all the stops to advertise it by bringing Captain Jack Sparrow himself–Johnny Depp–to Disneyland Park in California, unbeknownst to his most adoring fans.

johnny depp at pirates ride at disneyland

Credit: YouTube/Disney Parks

Depp was staged as one of the scurvy pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and as boats came around a corner into the area of the attraction where Depp was standing, he suddenly came to life, startling fans before causing them to swoon, all as part of one of the most debonair and daring marketing strategies Disney has ever undertaken.

johnny depp at pirates ride at disneyland

Credit: YouTube/Disney Parks

Dead Men Tell No Tales debuted at theaters on May 26, 2017, earning almost $800 million at the global box office against a budget of approximately $230 million, making it another win in the franchise.

The End No One Saw Coming

No one dreamed it might be the last time fans would see Captain Jack Sparrow. Rather, most fans believed they’d be aboard the Black Pearl alongside Captain Jack when he finally had that “rendezvous beyond [his] beloved horizon.”

But only months after the film debuted, Johnny Depp’s then-wife Amber Heard began publicly accusing the famed actor of domestic violence and abuse–a practice that would ultimately lead to the near-death of Depp’s 30-year acting career and the multi-year delay of the production of Disney’s sixth Pirates film.

johnny depp amber heard in court

Credit: Law & Crime Network

Despite Heard being found the dishonest and defaming abuser in the relationship by a jury of her peers in June 2022, Depp’s career has been slow to take off, and Disney is perhaps the loudest–or most silent, depending on the vantage point–when it comes to snubbing the talented actor. In fact, Disney seemingly broke ties with Depp at the onset of Heard’s vicious accusations, long before her claims could be verified or refuted in a court of law.

Related: Disney Refuses to Apologize to Johnny Depp, But He’s Already Had the Last Word, Brilliantly

Now, nearly two years after those claims were proven untrue, Disney still hasn’t made amends with Johnny Depp, and though fans desperately want a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, they have no interest in a Pirates 6 sans Depp.

A New Actress in “Pirates 6?”

But despite what looked like the unresolved parting of ways between Disney and Depp, a new trailer for a sixth Pirates film was released this week, and it includes an actress that, to this point, had not been included in discussions and speculation about the cast of the sixth film.

The trailer suggests the addition of actress Jenna Ortega (Stuck in the Middle, Wednesday) in the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, titled Beyond the Horizon, per the fan trailer.

In the trailer, Ortega, though unnamed, plays the “role” of Captain Jack Sparrow’s daughter, referring to the morally dubious pirate as “Dad” in various clips.

jenna ortega

Credit: HM Studio/Canva

Though the trailer was created by a fan of the film series, the idea of Jenna Ortega taking on a role in the sixth film might not be too far-fetched. In the years since she graduated from Disney Channel, Ortega has taken on numerous roles and enjoyed success along the way. And should the sixth film include a storyline about Captain Jack Sparrow’s daughter, Ortega might just be the perfect actress to fill the role.

For now, the jury’s still out on whether a new Pirates film will ever rise to the surface, meaning fans will simply–once again–have to hurry up and wait.

About Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!

2 comments

  1. I would love it…although I absolutely do not believe it!

  2. That is _not_ a real Disney trailer. The lips don’t match the text, the clips of Depp are all from previous movies, and the clips of Ortega are from different movies. Either you’re completely naive to believe this is real or you’re deceiving your readers. Either way, this story is bad.