Next Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be a reboot after all

Pirates of the Caribbean
(Image credit: Disney)

The next Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be a reboot, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed. 

The fate of the franchise has been uncertain for quite a while, with Margot Robbie's project in the mix, along with rumors and reports that Johnny Depp would be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow. 

Now, though, Bruckheimer has put some of the theories to bed. "It's hard to tell. You don't know, you really don't know," Bruckheimer told ComicBook.com of the future of Top Gun and Pirates of the Caribbean. "You don't know how they come together. You just don't know. Because with Top Gun you have an actor who is iconic and brilliant. And how many movies he does before he does Top Gun, I can't tell you. But we're gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don't have to wait for certain actors."

This is certainly an intriguing tease, especially as, by the sounds of it, no actors from the previous movies will be returning. That suggests a full, slate-clean reboot, rather than something akin to a legacy sequel. 

The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin has previously teased he's worked on a "weird" Pirates movie, and Bruckheimer has talked about a film with a "younger cast." He also seemed to confirm Robbie's movie would still happen back in 2022, despite Robbie herself indicating it was off the table. 

The future of the Pirates franchise is still quite a mystery, then, but, for now, this is a positive update. 

For everything 2024 has in store, check out our guide to all the upcoming major movie release dates to get planning your theater trips. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.