Update as of 5/21/2024: Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer saying he hopes to make two new movies, with one hopefully starring Margot Robbie. It is unclear if Christina Hodson will pen the script as previously reported in 2020.
Previously: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for… Harley Quinn? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Margot Robbie is set to star in a spinoff of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. A female-driven spinoff, to be more precise.
Warner Bros.
This one will have nothing to do with Jack Sparrow. It’s also separate from the Pirates of the Caribbean reboot Ted Elliott and Craig Mazin are currently developing. Instead, this version will do its own thing, although it’s also based on the classic Disneyland ride. The project is super early in the developmental stages, so that’s all we really know about the story at this time.
Hodson is a big new talent in Hollywood. In addition to scribing Birds of Prey, she also wrote the excellent Transformers spinoff Bumblebee. She’s also writing the upcoming Flash movie for DC, set to feature Michael Keaton. In 2019, Hodson and Robbie founded Lucky Exports Pitch Program. The initiative works towards getting studios to hire more female-identifying writers to pen action-centric movies.
Disney
We’re so curious to know more about this project! The original Pirates of the Caribbean films featured Keira Knightley as governor’s-daughter-turned-pirate-king Elizabeth Swann, who is arguably the star of the first trilogy. Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow got most of the attention back then—and even an Oscar nomination for the role—but it’s Swann at the center of the tale. We’d love to see her back for some kind of subplot, although the separation aspect The Hollywood Reporter plays up suggests this version could be a whole new timeline.
The mythology of the Pirates of the Caribbean films is already pretty murky, so hey, why not Margot Robbie do her own thing? We’ll obviously still be there, champing at the bit to see what magic these talented ladies can conjure together.
Originally published June 26, 2020.