Orlando Bloom, the actor known for his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, has hinted at a possible return to the series.
Despite years of speculation about remakes, reboots and continuations of the Johnny Depp-led Disney series, no new film has been produced since Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.
The popular Hollywood franchise, based on the Disneyland ride, has been dormant with no updates.
However, some Pirates of the Caribbean cast members, including Bloom, have expressed interest in reprising their roles. Fans believe it would take something extraordinary to make another instalment successful.
Fans took to the r/entertainment Reddit page to discuss what could make a new instalment successful. The end credits of the most recent film teased a potential sequel, featuring a cameo appearance from Davy Jones, played by Bill Nighy.
At a Fan Expo in Chicago, Bloom spoke about the possibility of a new instalment, saying: “I would personally love to see everybody back. I think the way to win on that one is to get everybody back. If they can, and if everybody wanted to go back.”
Bloom, who portrayed Will Turner in all but one of the films, seems eager to return. However, fans pointed out that Bloom’s insistence on “everybody” returning might be an unlikely scenario.
Recruiting Johnny Depp could spark controversy following the widely-covered Amber Heard court case, and supporters believe securing Keira Knightley’s return would prove challenging as well.
One supporter commented: “They had to give Keira Knightley a bunch of money just to make a cameo in the last one, it doesn’t seem like she’s interested in doing big movies anymore.”
Reports suggested Knightley earned an eye-watering $3million for her brief role in Dead Men Tell No Tales, so they’re likely correct about that!
Knightley has previously expressed her views on franchise productions and indicated she’s unlikely to feature in ongoing blockbuster series again.
She explained: “The hours are insane. It’s years of your life, you have no control over where you’re filming, how long you’re filming, what you’re filming.”
Other admirers of Knightley have discussed what the actress is currently working on, though some remain convinced she might rejoin the series.
One commented: “I just looked her up and it looks like she only took a two year break. She has been going pretty strong since including 60 episodes on a TV show.”
Another stated: “There’s a very lengthy list of actors who said they were done with franchises/big budget tentpole films only to return very soon after.”
A third expressed their hopes for the franchise’s future, writing: “I’ll take a quality script instead of everybody returning. The later movies had too many characters as it was.”