Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is still navigating rough seas, but franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer just dropped the clearest hint yet that the series won’t be charting an entirely new course. While promoting F1 — his latest movie, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski — Bruckheimer gave ScreenRant a status update on the long-in-development Disney tentpole — and strongly implied that at least some of the franchise’s original cast may return. “We’re working on a screenplay,” Bruckheimer said. “Hopefully we’ll get it right — and then we’ll make it. We really want to make it, that’s for sure.”

Asked whether the next Pirates movie would be a reboot or a continuation, he added: “It’ll be a new take on it.” And when pressed about whether the cast would be brand-new, he smiled: “Well, not all new actors. We’ll have some back.”

“I’m not going to tell you which ones — you’ll have to guess.”

So naturally, fans are guessing. And there’s really only one name dominating the conversation: Johnny Depp. Depp, who played the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow in all five Pirates films, was dropped by Disney following abuse allegations made by his ex-wife Amber Heard. Though the actor was never formally fired from the franchise, his future became murky after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. During his highly publicized defamation trial against Heard, Depp said under oath that he had no interest in returning to the role “for $300 million and a million alpacas.”

But that trial also galvanized support for Depp, who claimed he was “guilty until proven innocent” in the eyes of Hollywood. The outcome — a legal win and a groundswell of fan backing — has since stirred rumors of a possible reconciliation.

What Would ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ Be About?

Bruckheimer’s vague comment — “We’ll have some back” — might not be confirmation, but it certainly keeps the door open. And it’s the most optimistic update Depp fans have had in years.

The new film reportedly won’t continue the story from Dead Men Tell No Tales, even though that movie introduced new leads like Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and Carina Barbossa (Kaya Scodelario). However, Bruckheimer says the next entry will still exist in the same world — likely meaning characters like Gibbs (Kevin McNally), Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and maybe even Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) or Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) could make appearances.

Whether or not Depp is among them, though, remains the ultimate mystery. For now, the script is still in development, and no cast has been confirmed. But Bruckheimer clearly wants to build on the franchise’s legacy — not restart from scratch.

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise can be streamed now on Disney+.

via Collider