While Johnny Depp’s decision to not return as Jack Sparrow represents a major problem for Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the franchise could create a prequel series and allow the series to recast Depp. Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is happening but there is no reason to believe that the blockbuster sequel/reboot will feature an appearance from Johnny Depp’s iconic iteration of the franchise’s antihero, Jack Sparrow. Depp is the only actor to play Jack Sparrow in any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies so far and there has already been significant backlash online against the prospect of the character being recast, with one petition calling for Depp’s return garnering over half a million signatures.
While it looks unlikely that Depp will return, this does not mean that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has no option but to recast Jack Sparrow for the next sequel in the series. Instead, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies could follow in the footsteps of the Star Wars series and release a series of prequel movies. 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales worked around the absence of Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley from the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel by using their son as one of the movie’s main characters, so a potential Pirates of the Caribbean prequel could double down on this approach by replacing Depp’s Jack Sparrow with a younger version of the character.
Why Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Can’t Kill Off Jack Sparrow
While killing off Jack Sparrow seems like the simplest way for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies to continue their story, this approach fails to account for the impact that Depp’s character had on the tone and structure of the franchise. In the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Jack was a supporting character who provided comic relief. He was very much mortal and even died (briefly) in 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest before Elizabeth, Will, and the Black Pearl’s crew brought him back. However, in later Pirates of the Caribbean sequels Jack become the lead character of the franchise, and killing him off was no longer an option.
If 2011’s On Stranger Tides or Dead Men Tell No Tales had attempted to continue their stories without Depp’s Jack Sparrow, viewers would have had no compelling reason to follow their new heroes. Jack became the central focus of the Pirates of the Caribbean series in the sequels that followed the original trilogy, thus precluding the possibility of the franchise killing him off. This became a major issue when Depp stated that he wouldn’t play Jack Sparrow again since the series was left with no hero and no clear way of replacing him.
Why Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Can’t Bring Back Johnny Depp
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 can’t simply bring back Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow since the character’s solo adventures without Elizabeth and Will were already garnering terrible reviews before he left the role. Even if Depp could be convinced to sign on for a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the bad reviews that both On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales received prove that this alone wouldn’t be enough to revive the franchise. Not only that, but the disappointing box-office and release delays of Dead Men Tell No Tales proved that even fans of the series who stuck around for On Stranger Tides struggled with the latest sequel in the franchise.
A Pirates of the Caribbean Prequel Trilogy Could Recast Sparrow
The biggest issue with recasting Jack Sparrow is that Depp’s version of the character is closely associated with the franchise. Not only is Jack the main character of the later Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, but he was also the breakout star of the original trilogy. However, James Earl Jones’s performance as Darth Vader was far more iconic and legendary than Depp’s Jack Sparrow and the Star Wars franchise was still able to recast him in the prequels because the actor’s age stopped him from playing a younger version of the character. Similarly, the best way for the franchise to avoid the issue of recasting Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow is by creating a younger take on the character.
Depp could never have played a teenage take on Jack Sparrow, for example, or an even younger take on the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean character. This would also force the Pirates of the Caribbean movies to take a fresh look at the mythology of the series, which was dense and inventive (if admittedly overstuffed) in the original trilogy but became bland and predictable by the final movies in the series. Later Pirates of the Caribbean sequels failed to bring back fan-favorite characters like Calypso and Davy Jones for more than mere cameo roles and didn’t introduce engaging new villains to replace them, instead relying on the familiar murderous pirate captains (undead or otherwise).
Pirates of the Caribbean Prequels Expand The Franchise
In contrast with the uninspired later sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 could reboot the series and re-introduce new versions of well-loved characters if the next movie was a prequel. The franchise could introduce younger versions of everyone from Captain Barbossa to Jack’s father Captain Teague, and could even delve into the intriguing, underexplored backstory of Davy Jones and Calypso. 2007’s At World’s End briefly explained that Davy Jones betrayed his one true love in exchange for power, a tragic tale that the sequel wasted, and a prequel movie could flesh out with more focus and screen time.
Not only that, but a prequel to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies could also address Jack Sparrow’s missing backstory. Originally, At World’s End also revealed that Jack became a pirate when the real (and really evil) East India Trading Company paid him to transport slaves, and he instead took the corporation’s money before freeing the slaves. Viewers never got to see the heroic, rebellious roots of Jack Sparrow since this scene ended up on the cutting room floor and was always intended to be a brief conversation between Jack and Cutler Beckett rather than a full-blown flashback. However, a Pirates of the Caribbean prequel could stage this story in all its glory and gives Jack’s origins the focus that they deserve while also allowing the series to handle the issue of Johnny Depp’s departure with grace.
