Few franchise questions have lingered inside the Disney fandom longer than this one.
On Saturday at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed directly to Deadline that conversations with Johnny Depp about a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film are actively underway.
Bruckheimer told Deadline: "We're talking to Johnny, we're working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done."
That single sentence carries weight precisely because of who said it. Bruckheimer is the only main-billed producer on every one of the five released Pirates films. His fingerprints are on every creative and commercial decision the franchise has made across more than two decades. When he goes on the record at a Disney tentpole event, people listen.
The remark builds on a trail of increasingly candid updates over the past year. In August 2025, Bruckheimer told Entertainment Weekly that he had spoken to Depp and felt optimistic: "If he likes the way the part's written, I think he would do it." He added at the time, "It's all about what's on the page, as we all know… We are still working on a screenplay. We want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay."
Then in February, the mood shifted. A report suggested the next film might center on Jack Sparrow's son, sparking fresh debate about whether Depp would hand over the spotlight. That rumor was not warmly received by fans, who flooded social media insisting they would skip the film without Depp's Jack Sparrow in it.
Bruckheimer addressed the noise head-on. At the Producers Guild Awards, he told The Direct, "First of all, that's not true. No, no, no. Johnny... if it's up to me, he'll be in it."
Not exactly ambiguous.
In a separate conversation with Screen Rant while promoting F1, Bruckheimer described the project as "a new take" featuring "not all new actors." It is not a reboot starting from scratch, and it is not a direct sequel to Dead Men Tell No Tales. It is something in between.
Bruckheimer previously confirmed that two Pirates projects are in development: one a reboot, and one with Margot Robbie still attached. He told The Wrap in 2025, "She's still involved." How those two tracks converge or remain separate remains unclear. A report from The DisInsider suggested Disney's preference is for a co-led film featuring both Depp and Robbie, with future installments potentially following Robbie's character.
The screenplay has cycled through several hands. Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick took a crack in 2018 before departing early the next year. Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin later joined franchise veteran Ted Elliott on a draft. Jeff Nathanson, who wrote Dead Men Tell No Tales, is currently penning the reboot script.
Bruckheimer praised Nathanson's work last year, saying, "He's cracked it. He's got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second and then we'll get there."
Orlando Bloom has expressed strong interest in returning as Will Turner, emphasizing his desire for a full reunion with Depp and Keira Knightley. Knightley, however, told People in 2025 that her "pirating days are over." Gore Verbinski, who directed the original trilogy, has also ruled out coming back.
The commercial logic behind a Depp return is hard to ignore. Across five films, the series has grossed $4.5 billion worldwide. The 2003 original earned five Oscar nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Depp. Both Dead Man's Chest and On Stranger Tides crossed the billion-dollar mark. Even Dead Men Tell No Tales, widely regarded as the weakest entry, pulled in nearly $800 million globally.
Depp's broader Hollywood reentry is also gaining momentum. He is set to star in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, directed by Ti West. His Lionsgate action-thriller Day Drinker has only intensified speculation about whether Disney would formally welcome him back.
The honest status is: nothing is signed either way. The door is open, and the producer wants him, but there is no confirmed deal. Disney has not announced an official title, plot, or release window. As of August 2026, specific story details remain unclear.
Bruckheimer is also producing Top Gun 3 and has described the two projects as running a "horse race," with Top Gun slightly ahead in priority.
Still, Saturday's comment at D23 marks the furthest Bruckheimer has gone on the record. A year ago, the phrasing was conditional. Now, it is present tense. They are talking. The script is being written. And the man who has steered this franchise since 2003 is telling the world he wants to get it done.
Whether that translates into a signed deal, cameras rolling, and Captain Jack Sparrow wobbling back onscreen remains to be seen. But for a franchise that has spent nearly a decade in development limbo, the compass is finally pointing somewhere.
Check topics and authors from this story to see more stories like this in your personalized feed and receive updates when new work is published.
