Decades ago, nobody thought a simple boat ride at Disney's biggest resorts would end up being a blockbuster franchise. Then Johnny Depp signed on to play a pirate whose drunken antics usually got him in more trouble than he wanted, and a franchise was born. Despite taking many plot points from the older Tommy Lee Jones pirate film "Nate and Hayes," "Pirates of the Caribbean" saw a phenomenal level of success and three sequels.
In this way, "Pirates" shares a few things in common with the "Fast & Furious" franchise. It even shares the tendency for fans to consider the sequels a waste the further the franchise goes.
The lack of fun action made many fans and critics consider "On Stranger Tides" the worst movie of the bunch. Combine this with what appeared to be a complete departure from the original story, and all but the least critical of fans would consider it worth watching more than once.
Two of the actors missing from 'POTC4' are apparently back in 'Dead Men Tell No Tales'
William Turner (Orlando Bloom), now a member of the cursed crew of the Flying Dutchman, is back and possibly attempting to reunite with his still living wife Elizabeth Swan, played by keira knightley. This might be a welcome change after the departure of both from the earlier sequel.
It hasn't been revealed thus far what brings these two back into the franchise, but their return sadly also marks the possible end of Johnny Depp's involvement.
The actor has stated that he's tired of the role, and admittedly he is starting to show his age. Other actors have quit notable roles for similar reasons, such as Pierce Brosnan, who left the James Bond series after four films due to questioning why he was still doing it.
If Johnny Depp does leave the series, it could ruin any future sequels.
After all, it was he who helped make Captain Jack Sparrow such a household name.
There have been reports that Knightley shot all of her scenes in secret
What this probably means is that there is a plot twist Disney didn't want anyone to know about ahead of time. Much like Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) reveal at the end of "The Force Awakens," Keira may be part of the continuation of the franchise, and not an immediate part of the story.
Thankfully, as revealed in the trailer above, most of the fun and slapstick humor is back, including Captain Jack Sparrow's love of rum, to the point where he's drinking it as he slides down to possibly even more danger.
Are you excited to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales"?