As dormant franchises have been resurfacing left and right across Hollywood, one of the biggest question marks still remaining is the status ofthe as-yet-unnamedPirates of the Caribbean 6, the continuation of the classic Disney franchise that began in the early 2000s.Pirates 6has been stuck in developmentsince the release ofDead Men Tell No Talesin 2017, and still to this day, despite some news here and there, it seems no closer to release than it was eight years ago.

In the years since the last installment, the one prevailing piece of conversation aroundPirates6has been whetherJohnny Depp will return once again as Captain Jack Sparrow, as he was so integral to making the franchise work during its original movies. Since the last film, Depp has been embroiled in numerous controversies, andhis continued involvement in the franchise has been left up in the air. If he doesn’t return, thenPirates 6will undoubtedly have a very difficult time recapturing the magic of the original films.

The Black Pearl Up Close (It Has 32 Cannons)

Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow Is The Face Of The Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise

The Series Won’t Be The Same Without Jack

One surprising fact to remember about thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchiseis that Jack Sparrow actually started out as a very clear supporting character, serving to further the central plot surrounding Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann. While he was a big presence throughoutThe Curse of the Black Pearl,Will was the clear protagonist and the recipient of the movie’s main character arc. However, over the course of the sequels, Jack’s importance only grew, and he became the unquestionable face of the franchise.

Pirates of the CaribbeanFilm

Jack Sparrow being chased on a beach in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

$654 million

$1.066 billion

$960 million

$1.045 billion

Dead Men Tell No Tales

$794 million

While Will and Elizabeth did remain beloved characters, Jack Sparrow was the biggest runaway success from the first movie, so his importance was greatly increased in the second and third films. While Will and Elizabeth’s story was still the central focus,Jack became much more important, being placed centrally in the main story alongside the other two.He became the face of the franchise, as evidenced by the later two sequels that placed him as the sole protagonist, and while those movies tend to be looked down upon, they cemented Jack’s place as the franchise’s leading man.

Pirates Of The Caribbean 6’s Development Proves How Difficult It Is For Disney To Move On

Disney Clearly Doesn’t Know How To Move Forward

While Jack’s importance to the series was obvious to anyone watching, it has been made even more clear by the fact thatPirates 6has had such a troubled development cycle over the years. In theeight years sinceDead Men Tell No Tales,there have been countless different and conflicting reports, even from the people supposedly making the movie. Without Depp as Jack Sparrow definitely attached, Disney is really having a difficult time figuring out how to move forward, and how the franchise can function without the main star of the previous films.

There’s Already Been A Horrible Response To Fake Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 Casting Ideas

Fans Will Get Upset At Whoever Takes Jack’s Place

While there has been no casting information for the film, andPirates 6has not entered production, there have been some fake casting rumors circling around the internet, and it showed what could very well happen if and when a Jack Sparrow replacement is announced. This manifested chiefly whenAyo Edibiri, an actress best known for her role as Sydney Adamu inThe Bear, cropped up in a fake articlethat Elon Musk reposted claiming that Disney was eyeing her as a Jack Sparrow replacement.

Thedeluge of hate that Edibiri receivedfrom that false claim was horrific, and potentially showed what might happen to an actor that was actually cast as a replacement. Even if they don’t literally name the character “Jack Sparrow” again, they’re undoubtedly going to want someone who fills a similar role, whetherPirates of the Caribbean 6is a full-on reboot or not. The fact that Edibiri received so much vitriol from this fake story could very well be dissuading Disney, along with any potential actors, from attempting to recreate the character.