When the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise made its debut with The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, the film series became synonymous with Johnny Depp. For 14 years, the actor would play the boozy and troublemaking Captain Jack Sparrow (who was initially supposed to be a side character, before Depp stole the show), each movie following the captain and his crew on another epic journey. But a new day is dawning for the franchise, with a new leader to boot: Margot Robbie.
Fresh off of the heels of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the Australian actress has reportedly been recruited to play the lead character in a brand new Pirates of the Caribbean film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the untitled Disney project will star Robbie as a unique hero on her own journey across the treacherous seas — separate from the storyline of Depp's pirate captain. Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson will pen the film, which means that we can fully expect Robbie's pirate persona to kick ass.
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The film is in the early development stage, so little else is known about its plot or its cast, but that's not stopping fans from dreaming up their ideal Pirates of the Caribbean roster. Twitter is already abuzz with ideas for the new movie, tossing the names of different actors into the ring for consideration.
YES. Good. Who else should be in a female-fronted Pirates of the Caribbean? Tessa Thompson? Zhang Ziyi?
— Kristy Puchko (@KristyPuchko) June 26, 2020
Let's dream cast. https://t.co/BtnNh314Jl
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lupita Nyong'o, Florence Pugh, Gemma Chan, Lily James..
— Matthew St.Clair (@filmguy619) June 26, 2020
Film critic Kristy Puchko's call for dream casting was meant with eager response, and a number of high profile actresses came up, including Lupita Nyong'o, Gemma Chan, and Tessa Thompson. Keep the ideas coming — I'd personally love to see a crew of women taking on the Seven Seas, so I'm down with everyone being named in these dream casts.
The Robbie-led film is not to be confused with the other Pirates of the Caribbean reboot announced late 2019. That remake, which has already found a creator in Chernobyl's Craig Mazin and a writer in franchise veteran Ted Elliott, was tentatively considering re-casting Depp to play the infamous Captain. But its future is currently in limbo, thanks to the controversy swirling around the actor.
With or without Depp, the legacy of the the swashbuckling series is set to continue. And Robbie is the perfect fit for this brand new adventure. Now, bring me that horizon.