Where drawn-out franchises are concerned, Pirates of the Caribbean is up there with Fast and Furious and Saw, even if not as mind-numbingly unnecessary as Home Alone. Still, Hollywood is reportedly not ready to let it go just yet.

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A sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film has been stuck in development purgatory at Disney for years now, derailed by the decline of Johnny Depp’s reputation, strikes, and other behind-the-scenes setbacks we’ll probably never know about.

What’s the current status of Pirates of the Caribbean 6?

The last we’ve heard about the untitled next Pirates film was during the height of the Writers Guild of America strike from The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin, who was tapped to develop the sequel with original franchise writer Ted Elliot back in 2019.

“[Elliot] wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around,” Mazin told the LA Times in September 2023. The movie, which will likely happen sans Johnny Depp after the actor revealed nothing in the world could get him to come back to the series, appears to be in an advanced stage of pre-production. Pirates fans should be happy to hear there’s a complete draft that’s apparently showing a lot of promise.

It sounds like the ball in on Disney’s court to move the project further, begin casting and ultimately begin shooting. Nothing has been revealed about the shape this continutation will take, except for a teaser from Mazin who described his pitch as so “weird” he thought family-friendly Disney would never give him the time of day. “We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did!” Now, that’s exciting! At least Pirates 6 doesn’t seem like it will be another safe, regurgitating mess.

Is there a release date for Pirates of the Caribbean 6?

No. It’s hard to even predict a release window, because the latest update on the film was a bit too vague. At this point, there’s still a real possibility that Disney executives could change their minds. Moving forward with the project without Johnny Depp is as much of a risk as doing it with him.

Depp’s Sparrow is the essence of the franchise and one of the most famous performances of all time, and it would take a strike of genius to rebrand it into something equally as or more influential. Mazin and Elliot are more than capable, so here’s hoping their plans are as remarkable as they are “weird.”