Disney just broke many hearts as Margot Robbie confirms the dead dream of a female-led Pirates of the Caribbean spin-off. She revealed this saddening information during an interview with Variety magazine without going into too much detail.
Rumors of the spin-off first hit the internet in 2020, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed Robbie’s role as Johnny Depp’s replacement. Unfortunately, the controversy of replacing the longtime face of the franchise led to several postponements and eventual cancelation.
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Here’s what we know about the situation.
‘I Guess They Don’t Want To Do It’
Robbie is disappointed that the movie didn’t move past the development stage despite getting a screenwriter, Christina Hodson ( Birds of Prey and Batgirl ). She opened up about this to Variety , saying,
We’re still determining when things went south, as Bruckheimer confirmed two scripts were in the works, with Robbie starring in one of them. We suspect Depp’s legal battles leading to Disney cutting ties with him caused this development.
Since his dismissal in an American court, fans called on the production company to reinstate him as the rightful captain of the ship, but he declined, according to sources.
A Profitable Franchise
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of Disney’s most profitable franchises grossing $4.524 billion against budgets of $1.274 – $1.364 Billion combined. It started with the 2003 Curse of the Black Pearl and moved on to Dead Man’s Chest, At The World’s End, On Stranger Tides, and Dead Men Tell No Tales.
In 2006, Dead Man’s Chest was the highest-grossing movie, generating $1.1 billion; in 2011, On Stranger Tides came a close second with $1 billion.
Despite these stats, the franchise nixed Depp from its lead role to distance itself from the actor’s legal woes against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Never Returning To Disney’s Franchise
Depp also mirrored the production studio’s sentiments during his defamation trial against Heard, which he won. The actor denounced Disney during cross-examination and said he’d never return to the franchise even if they offered him $300 million.
Later, rumors swirled about Depp accepting a higher offer and returning to the franchise, but his publicist shut this down.
Booked, Busy And Unfazed
Disney axing the female-led spin-off does little to harm Robbie, who’s fully booked with upcoming movies from Barbie to an Ocean’s 11 prequel, Amsterdam and Babylon. We’ll surely see her face on the screen in 2023 and 2024.
