The future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is confusing, let alone the status of Jack Sparrow’s return, but Disney has already come up with the best way to bring the character back. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl premiered in 2003 and stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, a notorious pirate who helps Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner rescue Kiera Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann from the pirates on the Black Pearl. Following The Curse of the Black Pearl‘s release, Depp’s performance as Sparrow was highly praised and became one of the actor’s most renowned roles.

Depp is best recognized for his role as Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. But Sparrow is also regarded as one of the best fictional characters of the 21st century. So, although it has been over seven years since Depp has played Sparrow on the big screen, it’s quite unlikely that Disney is done with the pirate. The good news is that even if Depp has officially retired from playing Jack Sparrow and won’t return in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, Disney still has the perfect way to keep the character’s legacy alive in the $4.5 billion franchise.

Jack Sparrow’s Past Is Perfect For A Young Indiana Jones-Esque Series

Disney+ Had An Indiana Jones Prequel Series In The Works

The best route for Disney to take regarding Jack Sparrow’s future in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is to copy Indiana Jones by developing a prequel series chronicling the young pirate’s early days. ABC released a prequel Indiana Jones show (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) in the early 1990s, which ran for two seasons. More recently, Disney+ reportedly discussed the possibility of a series set before Raiders of the Lost Ark, but that project was canceled in 2023. Nevertheless, the streaming service could still take that idea and apply it to Sparrow and Pirates of the Caribbean.

This hypothetical Jack Sparrow Pirates of the Caribbean prequel Disney+ series could explore Sparrow’s birth in the Indian Ocean, his tumultuous childhood, and everything else that happened in his life prior to the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl. As fans may recall, Sparrow’s parents were Captain Edward Teague (a fictional pirate possibly based on Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard) and an unknown mother. Sparrow grew up surrounded by the pirate life, and it would be intriguing to see exactly how he became the notorious buccaneer that fans met in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

A Young Jack Sparrow Series Could Finally Bring Pirates Of The Caribbean To Disney+

Disney+ Is Home To Many Franchise Prequel & Sequel TV Shows

It’s honestly surprising that Disney+ hasn’t released a Pirates of the Caribbean TV series yet, given the streaming service’s history of producing shows related to Disney’s big franchises. The platform has Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, and more, numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows (WandaVision, Loki, Ms. Marvel, etc.), and so on. So, a prequel series revolving around a young Jack Sparrow could finally bring the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to Disney+ and (finally) revive the series after seven years.