Austin Butler Addresses the Rumor That He Is Joining ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’
Ever since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sailed into theaters seven years ago, the franchise has faced choppy waters.
The troubles began when Disney unceremoniously dropped Johnny Depp from a planned Pirates of the Caribbean 6 after the actor was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife Amber Heard.
At the time, Disney seemed poised to pivot to a Pirates spinoff starring Margot Robbie.
Troubled Waters
In the subsequent years, however, Depp won a very public defamation case against Heard. The actor’s defense team successfully portrayed Depp as the victim, not only of Heard but of an overzealous Hollywood that was quick to condemn the actor without trial.
During the trial, Depp admitted to being blindsided by Disney’s decision to drop him from Pirates 6. Later in the trial, the actor was asked under oath, “The fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film? Correct?”
Depp simply responded, “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”
At the same time that Depp was washing his hands of Disney, Margot Robbie’s Pirates spinoff floundered. The actress stated in November of 2022 that Disney did not want to make the film.
TWO ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Movies Are Reportedly in Production
While it seemed like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise had reached a dead end, producer Jerry Bruckheimer shocked fans earlier this year when he announced that both Pirates 6 and the Margot Robbie film were still in production.
“It’s two different movies,” Bruckheimer said. “We hope to get ’em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too.”
Bruckheimer would go on to explain that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 would be a reboot of the franchise and that it was unlikely that Depp would appear.
Enter Austin Butler?
With the tentpole franchise in need of a star, speculation began to run rampant online that Disney was eyeing Austin Butler to steer the ship.
Coming off starring roles in Elvis and Dune Part Two, Butler would be the kind of big name that could revitalize the franchise.
Unfortunately, in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Butler claimed that he was unaware of the rumors, though he admitted he was a fan of the franchise.
“Oh really? I haven’t heard about that,” Butler said of the rumors. “I loved Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Reflecting on the franchise, the actor revealed that he even did a school report on Pirates of the Caribbean when he was younger.
“Who knows? I haven’t heard anything about that. That just reminded me of when I was a kid. In elementary school, we had to make these posters that had like your favorite music, your favorite actors. And at that time — I don’t know what grade, it must have been fourth grade, third grade or something — but it was … Pirates of the Caribbean was on there.”
“I Love What Johnny Did”
According to the actor, whoever takes the helm of the franchise will have a tough time living up to Captain Jack Sparrow.
“It’s a hard one to touch because they did it so well,” Butler admitted. “I loved what Johnny [Depp] did with that.”
By the sound of things, Butler is not champing at the bit to take over the franchise. It sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean will have to look elsewhere for its new captain.
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