'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' Release Date Set for 2017, Johnny Depp Returns as Jack Sparrow
It has been confirmed that "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" is set to premiere on July 7, 2017. The follow-up to "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" will see the return of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. The film is reportedly titled "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales."
The film is rumored to feature another A-list star, Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz, who will supposedly play the role of Captain Brand. Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport, and Keith Richards are also rumored to reprise their roles for the fifth movie.
A female supporting character for the movie has not yet been announced, though there are rumors that Penelope Cruz could be back for the fifth installment of the "Pirates" movie.
Disney was initially eyeing a summer 2016 release for the latest installment of the franchise, but the decision to push back the movie was made when the producers apparently saw that it wasn't worth rushing until the script was right. Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg are attached to direct the film, with Jerry Bruckheimer on board to produce it, according to Deadline.
The first four "Pirates" film grossed $3.7 billion, and the last film, "On Stranger Tides," crossed the $1 billion mark. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" is set for some stiff competition by July 2017, as the "Fantastic Four" reboot will be released on July 14 that year, and "Despicable Me 3" on June 30.
There's no word yet as to whether this will be the last adventure for Jack Sparrow. But if Disney decides to end the franchise with "Dead Men Tell No Tales," Hollywood Life is reporting that characters such as Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) could appear in the film.