Although Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff was announced four years ago, there has been little movement since and Pirates of the Caribbean 6’s reboot appears to be a higher priority now. The Pirates of the Caribbean series is one of the most financially successful franchises of all time. However, the controversies surrounding its star, Johnny Depp, and its prolonged absence from cinema screens have left the franchise’s future uncertain. In 2020, it was announced that Margot Robbie would lead a female-centric Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff, but little has come from this announcement in the years since.

In the years after Robbie’s spinoff was announced, there have been conflicting rumors claiming that the project is dead and that it may still be in development. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that the franchise will be rebooted with its sixth outing. The news that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will be a full-on reboot doesn’t necessarily mean Robbie’s spinoff won’t happen, but it does seem like the franchise’s focus is on reviving the main story rather than any spinoffs. This is reaffirmed by Robbie’s comments to Vanity Fair about her Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff’s future in November 2022.

Pirates Of The Caribbean 6’s Reboot Plan Makes Margot Robbie’s Spinoff More Unclear

Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean future is up in the air

Since Robbie earned a historically huge box office success with 2023’s Barbie, it seems foolhardy for Disney to give up on her Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff. Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean movie could be a huge hit judging by her blockbuster track record, and the A-list star is one of few actors whose presence could ameliorate Depp’s likely absence. However, the fact that Robbie herself thinks that the project isn’t going forward doesn’t bode well for its future. Furthermore, Bruckheimer’s comments about reboots being convenient since they don’t require the availability of specific high-profile actors are even more telling.

While they are incredibly financially successful, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are also exorbitantly expensive to produce, with 2011’s On Stranger Tides commanding one of the biggest budgets in movie history.

Pirates of the Caribbean6 being a franchise reboot would allow Disney to restart the franchise without requiring the services of Depp, Robbie, or any other expensive star. While they are incredibly financially successful, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are also exorbitantly expensive to produce, with 2011’s On Stranger Tides commanding one of the biggest budgets in movie history. As such, a reboot that doesn’t involve Robbie could allow Disney to invest less in a series that already saw its box office dip in its fifth theatrical outing. This makes the investment a smaller and, as a result, less risky proposition.

Why Disney Should Have Focused On Margot Robbie’s Spinoff Rather Than POTC 6

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 makes less sense after Barbie’s blockbuster success

That said, dropping Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff for a full reboot is still a bad decision. Robbie is coming off of the biggest movie of 2023, so it would make sense for Disney to embrace a major star like her as the lead of a spinoff that could bring a resurgence of interest to the franchise. Much like Depp was the anchor that kept audiences coming back when Pirates of the Caribbean’s later movies earned abominable reviews, Robbie could revive the ailing series with her screen presence instead of Pirates of the Caribbean 6’s reboot strategy.