It was recently revealed that the film series would return without Johnny Depp and with a new lease of life. However the writers – Deadpool’s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick – are said to have departed the project already, according to a US report. So is it doomed already?
According to Deadline, the pair have departed – just months after they were hired in October last year.
Disney’s Sean Bailey had hailed them as the key reason why a Depp-free revamp would be a roaring success.
“We want to bring in a new energy and vitality,” he said at the time.
“I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants.
“And that’s what I’ve tasked them with.”
What exactly will happen now remains unclear, but the implication is that the project is on hold for the time being.
Pirates of the Caribbean has been a never-ending financial success, but the critical reception it has received has grown colder and colder.
While the debut received a 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes, that number has been getting lower with each instalment. Fifth outing Dead Men Tell No Tales came in at just 29%.
Box office takings remain healthy, however: DMTNT made $794.8 million worldwide, while On Stranger Tides took upwards of a billion.
That most recent movie ended with a post-credits scene alluding to the return of Davy Jones – but it’s not known if this thread would have been picked-up on in the planned new movie.
Rheese and Wernick have a busy slate without Pirates: their Zombieland sequel Double Tap is due later this year.
They’ve also written the movie adaptation of the game Watch Dogs.