The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise seems to be on its last legs, with Pirates 6 seemingly unable to get off the ground over the past few years. The series needs to radically redefine itself in order to regain the momentum it once had, but there’s a clear possibility that the next installment can once again reach the heights of the previous Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Keira Knightley recently commented on the state of the franchise by confessing that the original cast hadn’t been contacted for Pirates 6, which seemingly confirms that the studio doesn’t have a clear vision for this rumored sequel just yet. And with every passing year, audiences’ interest in this franchise seems to be dropping steadily.
If Disney has any hope of reviving the franchise in a way that pulls fans back in and restores it to box office glory, then​​​​​​​ there are a few things the studio should keep in mind.
Prioritize The Characters Over The Action
One of the most obvious reasons why the early Pirates movies were such resounding successes is their ability to blend rich, intimate character work with a more sprawling, creative sense of scale that really allowed this world to stand out. While the action and world-building have remained impressive, the later sequels have forgotten to prioritize the characters.
There’s a reason that Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann remain the faces of the Pirates franchise despite being absent from the most recent sequels. Their layered backstories made it easy for audiences to connect with the story, whereas the latest movies have tried (and mostly failed) to capture that same engagement solely through action.
The action sequences in Pirates of the Caribbean are consistently impressive, but they feel hollow without complex, three-dimensional characters driving them forward. The films need to give audiences a clear reason to care about what happens during these set pieces, and Pirates 6 should return to the character-driven storytelling of the originals to achieve this.
Keep The Story Isolated And Self-Contained
Although Pirates of the Caribbean has often benefited from its sprawling world-building and recurring subplots, the sixth movie needs to clearly distinguish itself from the preceding films in order to stand on its own two feet. This needs to be a singular, self-contained story that relies on compelling characters and strong writing to succeed — not just nostalgia.
It’s been eight years since the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and many audiences will have forgotten how the franchise ended back in 2017. Instead of giving those audiences homework before jumping into Pirates 6, the movie should be one that viewers can simply watch and enjoy without worrying about its place in the larger story.
Introduce A New Franchise Villain
Building on the previous point, Pirates 6 needs to introduce a new villain as the face of the sequel instead of bringing back an existing foe just for nostalgia’s sake. While many Pirates fans would love to see Davy Jones or Barbossa return after so many years, this would prevent the sequel from feeling as fresh and original as it needs to.
The Pirates of the Caribbean villains have always been a highlight of the movies, and Pirates 6 needs to prove this is still the case. If there’s any chance of this franchise continuing into the future, the next sequel has to prove that it’s still capable of crafting morally complex and richly layered villains, not just bringing back old ones.
Draw Inspiration From Real-Life Pirate Legends
Throughout the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean has done a great job of taking existing pirate legends that audiences will already be vaguely familiar with and bringing them to life in subversive and compelling ways. Most viewers will have heard of Davy Jones before the Pirates movies, but it’s not until watching Dead Man’s Chest that he really exists in their minds.
This is one of Pirates of the Caribbean’s biggest strengths, and it needs to be continued in Pirates 6. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of pirate stories to choose from. The original movies may have used Davy Jones and Blackbeard, but the legends of Bartholomew Roberts or female pirates like Mary Read are no less filled with potential.
Bring Back The Practical Effects
Both practical effects and special effects have been used to great effect throughout the Pirates movies, but the most recent sequels have leaned more heavily into the SFX because of their increased budget and the developments in technology. This has resulted in some brilliant set pieces, but nothing will beat the tangible practical effects of the original.
Incidentally, the Pirates movies are more frequently associated with special effects than practical ones, mostly because of how game-changing their SFX were for the time they were being made. The CGI in early Pirates of the Caribbean movies was truly remarkable, but the sheer scope of the practical naval battles often gets overlooked.
Of course, it’s impossible to bring these scenes to life without some CGI, but the early films felt authentic and real in a way that’s missing from the SFX-heavy sequels. Returning to the grounded, gritty visuals of the early movies would be a very effective way for Pirates 6 to forge its own identity and separate itself from the existing sequels.
Lean More Heavily Into The Horror Tropes
The Pirates movies have always been frightening by design, but the later sequels have ditched the grimy, Gothic horror of the originals for a more action-packed, often comedic tone that caters more specifically towards younger audiences. This has clearly been to facilitate the film’s box office performance, but it’s resulted in a declining critical reception.
Going back to the series’ roots and transforming Pirates 6 into a genuinely scary nautical horror movie would be a bold tonal shift that could really jolt this franchise back into shape. Leaning into these genre conventions would be a fun way of proving that Pirates of the Caribbean has aged and matured alongside its audience.
Introduce A Whole New Cast
There’s been a huge amount of debate about whether Jack Sparrow should return in Pirates 6, but it’s getting to the stage where simply getting this movie released is much more important than bringing back any returning actors. Following Knightley’s recent confession that none of the original cast are attached, it seems much easier to simply introduce new characters instead.
Jack, Will, and Elizabeth were all given satisfying endings in the recent Pirates sequels, and dragging them back for another adventure would simply disrupt that. And even if they did come back, it wouldn’t be sustainable, since any potential sequels would be put under further strain to keep bringing them back, so it just makes sense to wipe the slate clean.
Make It A Spinoff, Not A Sequel
The easiest way to overcome all of these casting and plotting issues that seem to be holding Pirates 6 back is by reframing it as a spinoff, not a sequel. This way, audiences won’t necessarily be expecting to see all their favorite characters again, and the crew will have much more creative freedom to make the story that suits this particular narrative.
There was reportedly an all-female Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff in development before Disney shut it down in 2022, so we know the studio is open to ideas. It’s hard to imagine the main series without Jack Sparrow, but it’s even harder to imagine Depp stepping back into the role at this stage in his career.