Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) returns to the big screen this May in the fifth installment of the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This latest adventure on the high seas sees the another favorite character from the franchise return: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). The blacksmith, turned pirate, turned supernatural being didn’t appear in the fourth installment, but it looks like his return is going to be a key part of Dead Men Tell No Tales. We’ve already seen the first full trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 5, and it looks like a swashbuckling return to form for the franchise.
The film is also billed as “The final adventure” in the trailer, leading many to assume that this will be the last of the Pirates movies. Now, however, it seems that the director isn’t so sure that he is done with Jack Sparrow.
In an interview with Cinema Blend, co-director Joachin Rønning was asked if this film would definitely be the wrap up to the franchise, and replied that he would love to continue making Pirates films, given the chance.
It’s difficult to ever know. I think that there’s always… this is the beginning of the finale. [Laughs] It depends on how you look at it. But I never take anything for granted, and I love the franchise. These kinds of movies, they remind me of the kind of movies I grew up with, those kind of adventure movies that made me want to become a filmmaker. So for me to be able to be a part of this and direct a Pirates of the Caribbean is a dream come true. But I don’t know if it’s the last one, or if they’ll make another ten of them — I don’t know! But I hope so!
Rønning co-directed the film with Espen Sandberg, and this will be the first time working on a Pirates Of The Caribbean film for both directors. The first three films in the franchise were directed by Gore Verbinski, while the fourth film (Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) was directed by Rob Marshall. With the franchise doing so well at the box office, it would certainly be an interesting move by Disney to stop making Pirates movies now, and with Rønning so keen to keep working on the franchise, there are clearly still unexplored aspects of this world that could be brought to the big screen.
It may well be that the “final adventure” referred to in the title card is not the end for the franchise as a whole, but for one or more of the characters. Will Turner could be returning in order to exit the franchise entirely, as well as to explain what happened to Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), who has not appeared in either the 4th or 5th installments. With a new pair of adventurous youngsters front and center for Dead Men Tell No Tales, it’s very possible that the franchise will continue with Henry (Brenton Thwaites) and Carina (Kaya Scodelario) in the spotlight. This could even be the final adventure for Jack Sparrow, although it’s difficult to imagine a Pirates film without the reckless captain of the Black Pearl.
Of course, this is in no way a confirmation that the franchise will continue past Dead Men Tell No Tales, and is purely speculation by Rønning, who admits that he does not know what Disney is planning. As a director who describes working on the franchise as “a dream come true,” it’s not at all surprising that he would hope to continue making Pirates films, and we hope that he be able to.
