Tom Hiddleston, Ewan McGregor, Tobey Maguire and Jude Law Almost Starred With Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean
Johnny Depp has been the face of the adventure drama Pirates Of The Caribbean for multiple decades. The actor made headlines with his messy defamation trial, which not only painted his public image in a negative light but also took a toll on his acting career. He made a comeback with Jeanne Du Barry at the opening ceremony of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2023.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean was a star-studded franchise with Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Zoe Saldana, and Johnny Depp in pivotal roles. However, not many people know that before finalizing the Lord Of The Rings actor Orlando Bloom for the character of Will Turner, reputed A-listers were considered for the role in the franchise.
A-Listers Who Were Supposed To Play Will Turner In Johnny Depp’s Pirates Of The Caribbean
Johnny Depp led Pirates Of The Caribbean is one of the most widely watched and appreciated franchises in the history of entertainment. The billion-dollar franchise’s perfect cast is one of the most important factors for its successful run. Reputed names from the industry were in competition with Orlando Bloom for the role of Will Turner.
According to a report published by the reputed media outlet ScreenRant Marvel star Tom Hiddleston was approached for the character of Will Turner years before he became the trickster of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now it is next to impossible to imagine Loki, the antihero in the shoes of the simple and innocent Will Turner. Reportedly Tom Hiddleston had auditioned for the character of the gallant pirate but unfortunately things did not come to fruition for the actor.
Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor was also offered the role of Will Turner before the creators went ahead with Orlando Bloom. According to a report by ScreenRant, the Scottish star was busy with the filming of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith when Pirates Of The Caribbean was in production. Unfortunately, Ewan McGregor could not become a part of yet another successful franchise after Star Wars.
Amongst all the A-listers approached for the role of Will Turner, the only actor who resonated with the innocence and simplicity of the charismatic pirate was Tobey Maguire. He had the potential to play the character very well, but the role went to his British competitor Orlando Bloom.
Jude Law was one of the names that were considered for the character of Will Turner. The actor’s choice of projects and great acting prowess do not need an introduction. Despite having an impressive screen presence, The Talented Mr. Ripley star could not become a part of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise.
However, the role fell into the kitty of Orlando Bloom and his portrayal of Legolas in the fantasy drama Lord Of The Rings made him become the spotlight of the media attention and even helped him bag the role of Will Turner in the Johnny Depp-led franchise in 2003.
Johnny Depp Talks About His Connection With Pirates Of The Caribbean
During an interview with Comicbook.com in 2021 Johnny Depp poured his heart out with respect to his connection with Pirates Of The Caribbean. The actor not only spoke about the franchise but also explained why he feels so drawn towards it. He said-
“I suppose this is the positive side of having, in a strange way, given life to those characters like Captain Jack or whatever character that I was lucky enough to locate and bring to life the beauty of Captain Jack Sparrow. I’ll go to somebody’s house, man, I’ll perform at your kid’s birthday party at this point.”
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He further explained how he can easily time travel with Jack Sparrow. He said-
“I don’t need a company to do that. I can just do that myself and nobody can take that away. That’s the greatest pleasure of Jack Sparrow. I can travel with Captain Jack in a box – literally Captain Jack in a box – and when the opportunity is right and I’m able to go and visit people and places where the smiles and the laughs and the things that are important, the most important things in the world are on the line.”
After the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017, there has been no update on the development of the sixth installment over the years.
Source: ScreenRant/ Comicbook.com
