Disney Confirms 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Reboot Without Johnny Depp

Only two months ago, in October, came the news that 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was going to be rebooted with the writers of 'Deadpool' in charge of script, and with Johnny Depp's role still up in the air. Only days after this first announcement was made, Stuart Beattie, the writer of the original franchise, spoke in the past about the actor in the role of Jack Sparrow using the past tense, saying: "I think he's had a great run. Obviously, he's made that character his own and it's become the character he's most famous for now", thus making Depp's participation appear even less certain. Now an executive from Disney has confirmed that Johnny Depp will not be in the reboot.

The statements made by Sean Bailey, the head of production at Walt Disney Studios, were made in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, in which he declared that they wanted to bring "a new energy and vitality" to the saga. Furthermore, he displayed his satisfaction with the inclusion of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick as scriptwriters, who have already begun working on the next stage: "I love the movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that's what I've tasked them with".

It is difficult to imagine a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film without Depp, despite the failures of his most recent films in the franchise, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'. However, if the reboot manages to stay far enough away from the original films and add a touch of twisted comedy thanks to the new writers, it could be pretty interesting. The creator of the first film in the original saga agrees, describing his desire to see "a lot of the great comedic subversiveness" in the remake.

Captain Who?

With Depp walking the plank, we will have to wait and see who will be donning the Captain's hat in the saga. Last November a rumour began circulating that the new protagonist would be Redd, a female pirate created for one of the Disneyland attractions. Several actresses have been mentioned as possible faces for the character, including Oscar winners, Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence, and 'Star Wars' star Daisy Ridley. Above all, Karen Gillan has been highlighted as a possibility. The actress is known for her role as Nebula in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 'Avengers: Infinity War', and would certainly be a change of tune from the great Jack Sparrow.