The Pirates of the Caribbean films began with The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. Over the next 14 years, Disney would go on to produce four more films in the franchise. As of 2017, the film franchise did not seem to be slowing down at all, with fans still watching the sequels. However, the franchise hit a bit of a roadblock when, in 2018, while plans for a sixth film were underway, Johnny Depp‘s ex-wife Amber Heard posted an editorial piece in The Washington Post alleging that Depp had abused her. Unaware of what would become the truth, Disney parted ways with Depp, and he was removed as Captain Jack Sparrow, his infamous and Oscar-nominated character from Pirates of the Caribbean. Whether you agree with Depp or Heard in the 2022 defamation trail, where Depp sued Heard and won, it’s clear from the films so far that Pirates of the Caribbean is a franchise built upon his character.

Nevertheless, Disney, it seems, has plans to continue the series of films with other characters taking on major roles, no longer using the character of Captain Jack Sparrow. While in many instances this could work, for this particular series, it has raised divisive opinions. On the one hand, fans of the franchise love Depp as Jack and will likely boycott Pirates of the Caribbean films that do not have him in them. There is even a petition to get Depp back into the film series. On the other hand, it’s no secret that the quality of the Pirates of the Caribbean films have declined since Dead Man’s Chest, the second movie in the franchise. Jack’s story has stretched across multiple films, with each new entry receiving unfavorable critical reviews. So, the question is: does the Pirates of the Caribbean really need Johnny Depp, or is a full reboot exactly what it needs to stay afloat?

Would Replacing Johnny Depp Be Profitable?

Money is a huge driving force for the entertainment industry. As of 2019, the five Pirates of the Caribbean films already produced had made a combined $4.5 billion worldwide. What’s more, Pirates of the Caribbean rides can be found in five of Disney’s theme parks; there are countless books and video games containing the characters; and through all of it, Disney is making money on Captain Jack Sparrow.

Similarly to Disney, Warner Bros. also asked Depp to step down from his role in their own famous franchise, Fantastic Beasts. Depp had already completed two movies and was due to appear in the latest film The Secret of Dumbledore. Depp claimed that he lost his role as Gellert Grindelwald because of Heard’s accusations and Warner Bros. seemed to shy away from the drama. A quick search on Box Office Mojo shows that the 2018 film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald made around $159 Million in domestic sales, while the 2022 film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore made only around $95 million. That is a lot of money to lose — around $64 million in comparison. Of course, the Fantastic Beasts franchise has been plagued by controversies not involving Depp, like the Harry Potter author’s transphobic remarks, that likely factored into why The Secrets of Dumbledore took a dip in ticket sales. Not to mention the fact that the franchise as whole failed to capture the magic that Harry Potter did so successfully during its eight-movie run.


Related: Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

Actors Get Replaced All the Time

On the other hand, some film franchises have successfully replaced prominent actors and remained steady. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one such franchise that has done this and shows no chance of slowing down any time soon. Marvel replaced actor Terrence Howard, who played Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Tony Stark’s friend, in the first Iron Man film. In subsequent Marvel films, as Col. Rhodes was becoming the legendary War Machine, Howard was replaced with actor Don Cheadle, whom fans seem to love in the role. This change didn’t hurt or harm the franchise at all, and the viewers didn’t seem to mind the alternative actor.

The Transformers film franchise did something similar and also did not seem to have any struggles bringing in the profits or the viewers. The first three Transformers films starred Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky and built its initial story arc around him. In the fourth film, however, the entire cast was replaced in a soft reboot with action star Mark Wahlberg taking over the lead role as a new character, Cade Yeager. Like Iron Man, Transformers remained a popular draw at the box office and is still going strong today.

Related: 11 Actors Who Were Fired From Their Movie Roles

The Future of Pirates of the Caribbean

The Pirates of the Caribbean films did have a decline in profits after the initial film. The Curse of the Black Pearl made $305.4 million domestically, while At World’s End, made $309.4 million, and Dead Men Tell No Tales made $172.5 million. This might be the reason why Disney is moving forward with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise without Depp. There is evidence that suggests a fresh look at the Pirates of the Caribbean world could help profits boost. In fact, Margot Robbie has currently been selected to play a new lead pirate character in the upcoming sixth film of the series. There are also rumors that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in talks with Disney to play another main character in a potential seventh film. It’s clear that Disney is moving forward without Depp, which may be just what the franchise needs at this point. Of course, the truth of the matter is we won’t know what is going to happen and how future films will do without Depp until we see the ratings and profits come in. Whether you believe Depp should return or don’t mind seeing films without him, only time will tell if the franchise does or does not need the actor to survive.