‘Pirates’ Director’s Pitch Based on Sao Feng’s Map Would Make a Good Johnny Depp Comeback Film
Johnny Depp’s career has taken some hits recently, but there may be a perfect comeback vehicle for the actor – returning to the role that helped launch him to superstardom, Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Pirates director James Byrkit, who helmed the Pirates short film Wedlocked, recently revealed he has a pitch for a new Pirates film based on Sao Feng’s navigational charts that were given to Barbossa at the end of At World’s End.
Byrkit’s pitch would center around the mythical island displayed on Feng’s charts and could provide the spark the Pirates franchise needs for a refreshed storyline. Depp reprising his iconic Jack Sparrow could draw fans back in droves and reinvigorate interest in the swashbuckling series.
Will Johnny Depp Return as Captain Jack Sparrow?
As per Pirates fandom, Johnny Depp hasn’t donned the wig, hat, and sword for Sparrow since 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, which underperformed at the box office. But the character remains beloved by fans, and a comeback showing for Depp could do wonders to bolster his career. The actor himself has expressed interest in playing Sparrow again in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
When asked if he’d return to Pirates, Depp said “We’ll see. I would love it. I would love to have him in the movie – that’s all that I can tell you.”
perhaps hinting that the franchise needs some new blood, which Byrkit’s mysterious island concept could provide.
What New Places Could James Byrkit’s Pitch Explore?
In the Pirates films, Sao Feng’s navigational charts led to the Fountain of Youth and Juan Ponce de León. But Byrkit wants to take the story in a different direction, focusing on the island depicted on the charts.
He explained, “I was on set, marveling at the work of Rick Heinrichs, and told Gore “we should shoot a movie here in off hours.” And he said, “Go for it!” So I went to Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and asked if they had an idea for a short about the Pirate Code. They thought that Vanessa Branch and Lauren Maher, the wenches, should have their own story and we started writing Wedlocked. The dvd department gave us some money to scrape together a crew, rent a 16 mm camera, and shoot for three days. And Vanessa and Lauren turned out to be awesome.”
Byrkit clearly likes taking peripheral Pirates characters in new directions, much like his Wedlocked short did. An entire film centered around Feng’s island could introduce intriguing locales and mythologies barely touched on in previous movies. And with Dead Men Tell No Tales underwhelming some fans, perhaps a completely new adventure is just what the Pirates franchise needs.
Of course, details on what Byrkit’s pitch contains are scarce. But the director’s creativity and passion for the franchise shined through in Wedlocked. The possibilities of unexplored islands and lands on Feng’s map could breathe exciting new life into Pirates.
Paired with Johnny Depp’s seasoned charisma as the eccentric pirate captain, Byrkit’s mystery island pitch makes for a solid combination that just might reinvigorate the magical adventure fans initially fell in love with. Now it’s just up to Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney to let Captain Jack chart a new course.
