Disney is looking into rebooting its very own Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
According to Deadline, the animation studio - alongside producing powerhouse Jerry Bruckheimer - is targeting Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick for script duties.
It's currently unknown whether its plans to reboot the franchise means Johnny Depp's tenure as Jack Sparrow has come to an end. The actor has played the role in five films across 14 years which have accumulated box office takings of over $4.5 billion making it the twelfth biggest franchise of all time.
The most recent Pirates film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was released in 2015 with director Joachim Rønning stating it was “only the beginning of the final adventure.”
Depp's appearance in Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, was criticised after the actor was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife Amber Heard in May 2016. He settled the case months later.
JK Rowling and David Yates jumped to the actor's defence with Depp himself stating: “JK has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth.”
The first Pirates film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was released in 2003 and co-starred Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. The series is based on the theme park attraction of the same name with Disney hoping to score similar success with new park ride adaptation Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jack Whitehall.
