Name Change Issued Within ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Franchise Amid Depp Drama

Disney is once again setting sail with its Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and longtime producer Jerry Bruckheimer has hinted that audiences may not have seen the last of some familiar crewmates.

It’s been over 20 years since Johnny Depp first swaggered onto the screen as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. That film, directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Disney and Bruckheimer, defied expectations and reignited the swashbuckling genre, with Depp’s eccentric turn becoming a global phenomenon.

Depp’s Sparrow became the series’ anchor, carrying audiences through Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2010), and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Alongside him, Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner rounded out the saga’s emotional core.

The actor’s paychecks reflected his importance—reportedly earning $90 million for Dead Men Tell No Tales. But as the franchise flourished, Depp’s off-screen battles soon shifted the spotlight.

His legal troubles with ex-wife Amber Heard dominated headlines. In 2020, Depp lost a U.K. libel case against The Sun, with Justice Andrew Nicol ruling the tabloid’s claims were “substantially true.” Online campaigns like #JusticeForJohnnyDepp followed, but Disney quickly distanced itself, and Warner Bros. replaced Depp with Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). That film underperformed, prompting the studio to shelve future entries.

In the U.S., Depp launched a $50 million defamation case against Heard, who countersued for $100 million. The 2022 trial in Virginia captured international attention. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $350,000), while Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages.

On the stand, Depp dismissed the idea of returning to Pirates. Asked whether “nothing on this earth” could convince him to come back, even for “$300 million and a million alpacas,” he replied: “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”

Still, Bruckheimer has kept the door cracked open. In a 2025 interview with Screen Rant’s Ash Crossan, the producer confirmed Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is moving forward and teased the possible return of known characters:

Jerry Bruckheimer: We’re working on a screenplay. Hopefully we’ll get it right–and then we’ll make it. We really want to make it, that’s for sure.

ScreenRant: A continuation or something new?

Bruckheimer: It’ll be a new take on it.

ScreenRant: New take, new actors?

Jerry Bruckheimer: Well, not all new actors. We’ll have some back.

ScreenRant: Okay…

Bruckheimer: I’m not going to tell you which ones–you’ll have to guess.

Orlando Bloom has added fuel to speculation, saying on ITV’s This Morning: “There’s been all kinds of things. Who knows? There’s been talk. I can’t say anything at the moment, because I really don’t know. They’re definitely… I think they’re trying to work out what it would all look like. I, personally, think it would be great to get the band back together. That would be great. But there are always different ideas, so we’ll see where it lands.”

A New Name at Sea

While the films prepare to set sail again, changes are happening beyond the big screen. LEGO and Disney’s new Black Pearl set will now be marketed under a different title: “Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship.”

Responding to a fan on Instagram, the LEGO Group explained, “The name reflects an internal creative decision by the LEGO Group and The Walt Disney Company.” Designer Mike Psiaki told Brick Fanatics.

“I’ll give you the most boring answer, which is I can’t say,” Psiaki said at a round table event. “It’s an internal thing that, unfortunately, we’re just not going to talk about. But as a designer, we are quite removed from the naming process of the product.”

Psiaki added, “As we’re making something, we’ll give suggestions at certain points in the process, but the naming, the packaging, all of these things actually happen quite a bit later, once the model development itself is done. But on this one, I actually heard the initial proposal: ‘We’re going to call it Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship.’ And I said, ‘You have to put in Captain.’ They always forget the captain. You have to put that in there.”

It isn’t the first time LEGO and Disney have altered a title—Star Wars fans will recall when Boba Fett’s Slave 1 became “Boba Fett’s Starship” for a LEGO set.

The Next Wave of Pirates

Currently, two projects are on deck: Pirates 6 and a Margot Robbie-led spinoff. While Robbie once implied her film had been dropped, Bruckheimer continues to insist it could happen, with the sixth main entry taking priority.

Variety reported in late 2024 that “nothing has been ruled out” regarding Depp’s participation, and by early 2025, rumors circulated that Pirates 6 had quietly secured a Hollywood soundstage for production.

The approach would align with Hollywood’s “legacy sequel” strategy, balancing returning actors with new talent—similar to the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

If Depp does return, the financials could be steep. Past deals positioned him among Hollywood’s top earners, and another Pirates film could command a similar figure. But with recent Disney tentpoles like 2025’s Snow White, Captain America: Brave New World, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps struggling, the studio may tread carefully.

Even so, Depp’s supporters remain vocal. His 2024 film Modi kept him active on the big screen, but Pirates may be the project capable of steering his career into a new era.

With Bruckheimer hinting at returning faces and Bloom publicly interested, the possibility of Jack Sparrow sailing again feels closer than ever. Whether Disney rolls the dice could hinge on whether Depp’s enduring appeal still translates into blockbuster success.