Margot Robbie is set to lead the cast of a new Pirates of the Caribbean film. According to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter , she will re-team with Christina Hodson, who wrote the script for her recent DC Comics film, Birds of Prey .
The new movie will not be a “formal spin-off” of the Johnny Depp -led franchise, but rather an original story set in the same universe. While most people know the franchise moniker from the five films, the series was initially inspired by the Disneyland attraction of the same name.
No plot details are available yet for Robbie’s film, but it will not affect the official Pirates of the Caribbean reboot that was announced in 2019.
Previous Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer is set to produce both the reboot and the Wolf of Wall Street star’s new movie.
The Hollywood Reporter stated that “the studio has been plotting ways to revive the brand with stories from new talent.”
The Pirates franchise is an incredibly lucrative franchise, which would explain why Disney is so keen to keep it going. The original five movies raked in more than $4.5 billion worldwide.
That said, the last movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales , had the second-lowest box office of the series, which is why the studio seemingly hit the brakes on making more films until they found a way to revitalize the series.
Robbie has proven herself to be a box office draw over the years with star-making roles such as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey . She also secured multiple Academy Award nominations for films, I, Tonya and Bombshell .
As for Hodson, aside from working with the 29-year-old Australian actress on Birds of Prey, the pair also created Lucky Exports Pitch Program, which is a “new initiative aimed at getting more female-identifying writers hired by studios to write action-centric movies.”
The social media response to Robbie developing a new Pirates film has been mostly positive, although many fans have questioned whether or not Depp will return in some capacity.
It is not clear if the Black Mass actor will have any involvement with the upcoming movie, which is currently in the early development stages. He last appeared as Captain Jack Sparrow 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales .
Depp has been embroiled in a public legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of abusing her during their marriage. The actor has denied her claims.
However, due to the controversy surrounding the actor, Disney may not want him involved in the franchise moving forward.