Johnny Depp’s been booted from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and the fans aren’t too happy about it.
After rumors broke out the other month that Disney was moving forward with a reboot of the swashbuckling series and the A-lister wouldn’t be involved, the studio finally confirmed it just this week. And according to them, Pirates doesn’t need Johnny Depp to succeed.
In fact, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Disney’s film production chief Sean Bailey discussed the upcoming project from Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and said the following:
“We want to bring in a new energy and vitality,” Bailey said. “I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that’s what I’ve tasked them with.”
So, while the studio may be confident in the direction they’re now taking the franchise in, it seems that not everyone’s on board with it. Following the news, fans took to Twitter to express their anger, and below you’ll find just a sampling of what people are saying:
Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp isn’t pirates of the Caribbean… pic.twitter.com/z68kDAGOXA
— ♡ (@Cheey_Williams) December 23, 2018
Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp?Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Thanks.
— lukeythetanuki (@lukeythetanuki) December 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/lukexbryan/status/1076908357435441153
Me: Is there really any need to keep this franchise going with or without Depp?
Johnny Depp dropped from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, Disney producer confirms https://t.co/adrNyp5Yrp #FoxNews
— Bob Salley (@Bob_Salley) December 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/madelyn_nasuti/status/1076894416101654529
If Pirates of the Caribbean films are made and Johnny Depp is not in the film, I will not watch it. Johnny Depp IS pirates of the Caribbean. End of.
— Maisie Gibbs (@maisieagibbs) December 23, 2018
Imagine making another Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp. Y'all better make Captain Barbosa's monkey the lead character then. Nonsense.
— A.A (@Sir_tire) December 23, 2018
While there’s no word yet on who will be the one to replace Depp, a rumor from last month alleged that a female pirate will serve as Captain Jack’s successor. Apparently, the heroine will be a character named Redd, who was recently added to the Pirates rides at Disney Parks.
That’s just hearsay for now, mind you, but regardless of who takes the lead for the franchise’s next outing, you can already see the backlash from fans who simply can’t picture a Pirates of the Caribbean movie without Depp. Still, given the controversy surrounding the actor – not to mention that a lot of people have tired of Jack’s well-worn shtick – it’s not hard to see why Disney feels the time is right for some new blood.