Tonya Harding, Harley Quinn, Sharon Tate—Margot Robbie can now add a pirate to her eclectic CV of varied characters. Over the weekend, The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that Margot Robbie would be starring and producing in a Pirates Of The Caribbean remake for Disney.
The project will be separate from the already announced Pirates Of The Caribbean reboot by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, who is developing the story, and screenwriter Ted Elliott, who wrote the previous films.
Robbie is setting sail with Birds Of Prey writer Christina Hodson to create a female-fronted Pirates Of The Caribbean for Disney. In addition to working together on Birds Of Prey, Robbie and Hodson together in 2019 launched the Lucky Exports Pitch Program, a new initiative aimed at getting more female writers to be hired by studios to write action-centric movies. Previous rumors about the future of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise were originally centered not on Margot Robbie, but on Guardians Of The Galaxy star Karen Gillan. Currently, only Robbie is officially attached to the project.
Details of the plot are hidden in Davey Jones’ locker as the plot is in early development, but the characters are said to be inspired by the long-running attraction at Disneyland with many speculating that Redd the Pirate will be in the Robbie remake.
Disney’s decision to expand the Pirates Of The Caribbean universe makes sense given the huge popularity of the franchise; the films have brought in over $4.5 billion for the company. Currently, it’s not clear whether Johnny Depp will be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow amidst his ongoing legal trouble with ex-wife Amber Heard. Longtime producer Jerry Bruckheimer is returning to produce both the new films.
Fans have been divided on opinions after hearing this news, with some being excited and in support of Robbie:
Many have been praising the casting of Robbie, but fans of the original Pirates Of The Caribbean series are wanting a new film with Captain Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Depp:
Let’s hope a female-fronted Pirates Of The Caribbean fairs better than Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters, which was seen by some as a gimmick and was heavily criticised by fans of the original. As to what the film will actually be like, only time will tell—but Robbie will back on our screens as Harley Quinn in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad next year.
Words by Charlie Vogelsang