Disney Is Solving Its Johnny Depp Problem With a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Reboot

Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have finally found a way to make a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie without Johnny Depp—by making a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie without Johnny Depp.

What do you do when the star of your blockbuster franchise is an alleged abuser (in America), a verified wife beater (in England), and a barrel of toxic sludge (in metaphor)? If you’re Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, you reboot the whole thing with a new cast. Problem solved. Bruckheimer confirmed as much in a recent interview with ComicBook.com. When asked which of his blockbusters—Top Gun or Pirates—would make it to the big screen with a new installment first, Bruckheimer said:

“It’s hard to tell. You don’t know, you really don’t know,” Bruckheimer began. “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.”

“Certain actors” like Johnny Depp, who has rightfully become radioactive following a series of high-profile court battles related to the alleged abuse of his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp played the pirate antihero Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and as popular as his character was, Sparrow is a relatively minor character in the series.

There have been five Pirates films to date, the most recent of which, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was released in 2017. In recent years, Disney has been trying to figure out the next move, reportedly considering a spinoff starring Margot Robbie and Pirates of the Caribbean 6 starring Depp. As ComicBook.com notes, the script for the new reboot was written by The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin and original Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriter Ted Eliot. Mazin told The Los Angeles Times last year that he was surprised Disney went for their script, which he thought was “too weird” for the studio. But if your choices are between an overpriced, sentient pile of costume jewelry accused of domestic abuse or a “weird” script from the guy who made a massive hit series for HBO, the answer is obvious.

(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)