Disney are fast becoming experts on bracing themselves for the inevitable online backlash that comes with firing someone from one of the company’s marquee properties. To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the internet has been divided over the Mouse House finally biting the bullet and giving Gina Carano her marching orders from The Mandalorian, and the two opposing factions of keyboard warriors will no doubt continue their battle for a long time to come.
That being said, the Carano news has split opinion to a much greater degree than the decision to drop Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean, with the majority of folks unanimously supporting the actor. There are still two new installments in the works, and Depp isn’t involved in either of them as of yet, but that hasn’t stopped the petition demanding his reinstatement from continuing to gather support.
Over 470,000 people have now lent their weight to the campaign, but as we’ve seen with virtually every other petition in existence, it’s not going to have even the tiniest impact in the long run. The fate of Captain Jack Sparrow rests solely in the hands of the Disney hierarchy, and if they haven’t budged in the last two and a half years, then a heavily supported petition isn’t going to change their minds.
Of course, as the leading man and main selling point of the entire franchise, interest levels in any new Pirates of the Caribbean movies have significantly dropped due to the absence of Jack Sparrow, but as things stand, Disney show no signs of bringing him back into the fold, no matter how much it could end up hitting them in the pocket.