Is Pirates of the Caribbean 6 happening? Co-writer teases new development

Pirates of the Caribbean writer Craig Mazin has provided a much-needed update on the sixth installment’s development. In a recent interview with LA Times, Mazin revealed that Disney had ended up buying his and co-writer Ted Elliot's pitch for the sixth installment of the franchise.

It has now been more than 4 years since the last installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was released. During this time, a lot has happened to keep the much-talked-about potential 6th installment featuring Johnny Depp an uncertain affair, both in terms of the movie and the actor.

Johnny Depp was involved in viral legal proceedings against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, which ended somewhat comfortably for him. Further, the ongoing strike of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) means actual work on the film cannot take place for the time being.

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Craig Mazin says Pirates of the Caribbean 6’s pitch is “too weird”

In a recent interview with the LA Times, Mazin discussed his work on Pirates of the Caribbean 6, which he co-wrote with Ted Elliot. Elliot was the screenwriter for the first three movies in the series. Although the ongoing WGA strike has temporarily halted work on the project, Mazin shared exciting insights into the film's direction.

He described their pitch for the film as "weird" and unexpected but revealed that Disney had ended up buying it. Describing the final script as “fantastic,” Mazin himself seemed surprised by Disney’s decision.

“We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did! And then he wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around.”

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales suffered at the hands of both critics and viewers. The movie was the lowest-grossing film of the series, raking in just $241.1 million overall. This, in addition to Depp’s legal troubles, cast considerable doubt on whether the sixth movie would see the light of day. Reports had even suggested that Disney was initially considering a spinoff starring Margot Robbie instead.

The project, however, was put on hold, following which Jerry Bruckheimer expressed interest in bringing Depp back. The actor’s John Sparrow undoubtedly forms the backbone of the series, and a potential return is sure to generate buzz. Still, Depp has not worked in Hollywood since his trial, which means his presence is not a given just yet.

Disney has already shown intent in continuing the franchise, and bringing Depp back following his courtroom success will prove huge. Still, as things stand, a sixth movie seems highly likely. Disney has already created a script, although Mazin did not reveal if it even included John Sparrow. The screenwriter was himself amused and claimed that the pitch was “too weird.”

Considering the ingenuity of the entire series thus far, it would be interesting to see what “too weird” means in the context of the overall series. For now, there seems to be no clarity on whether Depp will return or if Disney decides to cast someone else in the role. That, in itself, might prove a hard sell for fans. Regardless, there seems to still be a considerable amount of time before Pirates of the Caribbean 6 gets a release date.