For me, Pirates of the Caribbean was one of those franchises that started off on a tremendously high note and then proceeded to go off the rails in a deeply disappointing fashion. The Curse of the Black Pearl was a ripping yarn, boosted by Johnny Depp’s then-enjoyable portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, but Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End and On Stranger Tides suffered tremendously by impressing Sparrow as a main character, bringing in a glut of CGI creatures (did this series really need a Kraken?) and sacrificing ever shred of self-aware intelligence in favor of blockbuster spectacle. Will producer Jerry Bruckheimer learn from the franchise’s increasingly paltry reception in time to save Pirates of the Caribbean 5?
If his recent comments to Collider are any indication, perhaps he has. After discussing Deliver Us From Evil, Bruckheimer said that there will certainly be no demonic forces at play in the fivequel:
COLLIDER: Will there be any demonic monsters in Pirates 5?
BRUCKHEIMER: No, no. I think we’re back to more of a straight pirates movie this time.
COLLIDER: So, you won’t have big Kraken creatures anymore?
BRUCKHEIMER: Not in the script I read recently.
What a relief. In no way does that news mean that Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is out of the woods just yet. This is the fifth film in a series that has gone steadily downhill, remember. However, the movie will feature direction from Kon-Tiki helmers Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, unique choices that could pay off in spades for Disney. Both have proven that they can deliver a compelling tale set at sea, so if this fivequel is indeed going back to basics to tell a story about pirates, Rønning and Sandberg seem like solid picks to direct.
Previously titled Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth installment in the series will open at some point in 2016. Johnny Depp will reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, and other rumored cast members include Christoph Waltz as Captain Brand and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa.