Johnny Depp has said on numerous occasions that he would be more than happy to return to Disney’s lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as long as the story was worth telling. Disney is taking him up on that challenge.
News broke late Friday night that Disney has hired Jeff Nathanson to write the script for Pirates of the Caribbean 5. Whether there is a basic outline in place or if Jeff will be starting from scratch remains unknown at this time. What is clear is that Disney wants Captain Jack Sparrow back on the big screen and are willing to spend some cash to try and persuade Depp to don the dreads once again.
Nathanson is best known for penning 2002’s Catch Me If You Can. His writing credits also include Rush Hour 2 and 3, Tower Heist, and the Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues video game characters.
Depp’s turn as quirky characters under the Disney banner continues to run at a steady pace. He will next be seen in The Lone Ranger opposite Armie Hammer, and Disney has commenced work on a sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland that would see Depp play the Mad Hatter once again.
The earliest I would expect to see Pirates of the Caribbean 5 drop anchor in theaters would be the summer of 2015. Even that seems like a stretch unless Disney really kicks the project into gear once Nathanson’s script is turned in.
Source: Variety