After 15 years stuck in development hell, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 may finally be setting sail. Disney just offered fans their best update in years for the long-gestating sequel in an unexpected way.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 now has competition in the pirate genre
Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman are teaming for a new feature adaptation of Treasure Island. The classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson is considered the ultimate pirate story and has been adapted across film and television more than a dozen times over the past 75+ years.
More often than not, Scott’s features are distributed by 20th Century Studios, which, since 2019, has been a division of Disney. However, in Deadline’s Treasure Island report, it was revealed that 20th Century had already passed on the upcoming movie, not because both parties didn’t want to work together, but because “Pirates of the Caribbean is a priority at Disney’s live-action unit” and “they didn’t want a competing pirates project.”
With Jackman attached to play Long John Silver and a script from Jack Thorne already written, Scott’s Treasure Island seems ready to enter production as soon as a studio is found.
If accurate, the wording in Deadline’s article about Disney not wanting “a competing pirates project” strongly suggests that pieces may finally be falling into place for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. Otherwise, why else would Disney not want to be part of a fresh take on Treasure Island from one of the biggest directors in the world?
Pirates franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer has repeatedly offered minor updates on the sixth film for the past few years, usually some form of confirmation that it is still in the works. However, the vagueness of the updates led many fans to take them with a grain of salt as they awaited an official announcement from Disney.
While not from Disney, the fact that Deadline is stating that Pirates remains a top priority for the studio is the best update yet that the sixth movie will actually get made. Disney has essentially had a stranglehold over the pirate genre since the 2000s, with Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow the first person to come to mind when someone says “pirate”.
Scott’s Treasure Island is the first high-profile pirate movie to be announced in some time. Additionally, Jackman was actually the actor for whom the part of Jack Sparrow was written, so his casting as Long John Silver makes Treasure Island the ultimate “what if?” movie for Pirates of the Caribbean fans.
Those two details alone mean that there’s a good chance Disney views Treasure Island as a legitimate threat to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. If Disney is keen on getting the sixth film into production so that it can beat Treasure Island to theaters, the best way to get the ball rolling would be to give the fans what they have been asking for: Depp’s return to the franchise as Jack Sparrow, alongside the rest of the original trilogy cast.
Even if Pirates of the Caribbean 6 doesn’t beat Treasure Island to theaters, such high-profile competition in the pirate genre can only be viewed as a good thing. Disney will have no choice but to ensure that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 can deliver on the action and adventure that fans have come to know and love from the series. Otherwise, Scott’s Treasure Island may very well become the new go-to pirate franchise.
