Pirates of the Caribbean 6: Is it happening, and is Johnny Depp coming back?
Nearly a decade after the last film, the sixth Pirates movie is still stuck in limbo. Here’s the honest status: what the producer actually said about Johnny Depp, where the Margot Robbie version stands, and why it’s taking Disney so long.
It’s been almost 10 years since the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and fans keep asking the same question: is a sixth one ever actually happening?
The short answer is a frustrating “maybe.” Let’s cut through the conflicting headlines and lay out exactly where things stand, including the truth about Johnny Depp‘s return that a lot of clickbait gets wrong.
Is Pirates of the Caribbean 6 still happening?
Technically yes, but don’t get too excited yet.
A sixth film has been “in development” since around 2018, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the man behind every Pirates movie, insists it’s still a top priority for Disney. As recently as 2026, he said the team is “still working on a screenplay” and that “they’re close on part of it.”
But here’s the reality: there’s still no finished script, no cast officially signed, no director attached, and no release date. After years of this, the project is closer to an idea than an actual movie. So it’s “alive,” but it’s been alive in this same stuck position for a long time.
Is Johnny Depp coming back as Jack Sparrow?
This is the big one, and it’s where you’ve probably seen confusing headlines. Let’s set the record straight.
You may have seen stories claiming “Depp is officially OUT” and Margot Robbie is replacing him. That’s not accurate. When a reporter from The Direct asked Bruckheimer directly about those reports at an awards show, he flatly denied it: “First of all, that’s not true. No, no, no. Johnny… if it’s up to me, he’ll be in it.”
So the producer himself shot down the “Depp is gone” rumor. His consistent position is that he wants Depp back, and that Depp would likely return “if he likes the way the part’s written.”
The catch is it’s not entirely up to Bruckheimer. Back in 2022, after his very public legal battle, Depp said he wouldn’t return to the franchise, feeling Disney had distanced itself from him. So the honest status is: nothing is signed either way. The door is open, the producer wants him, but there’s no confirmed deal. Anyone telling you Depp is definitely in or definitely out is guessing.
What about the Margot Robbie reboot?
This is the other piece of the puzzle, and it’s real, but murky.
Margot Robbie has been attached to a Pirates project for a few years, and Bruckheimer confirmed in 2025 that “she’s still involved.” Her version centers on a new lead character rather than recasting Jack Sparrow.
Here’s where it gets complicated. At one point there were actually two scripts in development: one that would continue the story with Depp, and a separate Robbie-led take. Bruckheimer says one of those “dropped out” and they went with the other. It’s not fully clear whether Robbie’s project is a total reboot, a spinoff, or the main Pirates 6, the studio has kept shifting the approach.
So Robbie is involved, but exactly what her movie is remains a moving target.
So what’s taking Disney so long?
This is the real heart of it. Several things have kept Pirates stuck in dry dock.
The box office cooled. The last film, 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, made $795 million worldwide. That sounds huge, but it was the lowest of the sequels and came with a massive budget, so Disney saw a franchise with rising costs and shrinking returns.
The Depp situation. His years-long legal saga and Disney’s decision to distance itself from him threw the franchise’s biggest star into question, and the series has never figured out how to move forward with or without him.
A revolving door of writers. Pirates 6 has cycled through multiple writing teams over the years, each with a different vision, reboot, sequel, new character. Every restart sent the script back to square one.
Competing priorities. Bruckheimer is also producing Top Gun 3, and he described the two films as being in “a horse race,” with Top Gun “a hair ahead.” With Top Gun 3 now officially moving forward with Tom Cruise, Pirates appears to be the lower priority for now.
The bottom line for fans
Here’s the honest takeaway.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is not dead, but it’s not close to sailing either. There’s no finished script, no cast, and no release date, and it’s currently behind Bruckheimer’s other big sequel in the pecking order. Realistically, you shouldn’t expect it in theaters anytime soon.
On Depp: ignore the “officially out” headlines. The truth is messier and more open, the producer wants him, the actor has reasons to stay away, and no decision has actually been made. On Robbie: she’s involved, but what her movie looks like keeps changing.
So the franchise is still floating out there, somewhere on the horizon. Disney clearly doesn’t want to let a billion-dollar series sink for good. But after nearly a decade of false starts, the smart move for fans is cautious hope, not a countdown. This ship hasn’t set sail, and it hasn’t sunk. It’s just been stuck in the harbor for a very long time.
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Hat Tips:
The Direct and Cinemablend (March 2026), verified for Bruckheimer’s direct denial at the Producers Guild Awards — “that’s not true... if it’s up to me, he’ll be in it” — debunking the “Depp is out” reports
Collider and MovieWeb (April 2026), verified for the development timeline, the “still working on a screenplay” and “close on part of it” quotes, the multiple writers (Reese/Wernick, Mazin/Elliott, Nathanson, Hodson), and the no-script/no-cast status
ComicBook.com and The Wrap (2025), verified for the “two scripts, one dropped out” detail, the “she’s still involved” Robbie confirmation, and the new-character framing
Inside the Magic (April 2026), verified for the Top Gun 3 “horse race” comparison and the box-office context for Dead Men Tell No Tales