Orlando Bloom shares aspirations for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ reboot

Pirates of the Caribbean, with Disney preparing to breathe new life into the franchise, Orlando Bloom is making it clear that he wants to reunite with his old crew.

The actor, who played Will Turner in four of the five films, recently told fans at Fan Expo Chicago that the best way forward for the series would be to bring the original cast back together, including Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley. 

“Everything is in the writing, right? Everything is on the page, and I think there’s definitely, I’m sure there’s a way to create something,” Bloom said. 

“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 and Knightley both appeared in the first three films, The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, before returning alongside Depp for Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. 

The only installment they skipped was 2011’s On Stranger Tides. 

For Bloom, a potential return would only make sense if the story was strong enough. 

“My thing is, if the script was great and, ideally it was everybody, it’d be kind of like in for a penny, in for a pound, you know,” he added.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed last year that writer Jeff Nathanson is working on a reboot, while a separate spin-off project, written by Christina Hodson and once attached to Margot Robbie, is still in development. 

Bloom admitted the challenge is figuring out the right approach. 

“What they’re thinking…is how to do it,” he said. “Do you bring in a female leading character that replicates Jack in some way? I don’t know. The jury is out on how to do it again.”

Bruckheimer has also said he believes Depp could return as Captain Jack Sparrow if the script hits the right note. Knightley, however, has been vocal about stepping away from large franchises. 

Reflecting on her experience with Pirates, she shared last year, “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.”

For now, fans will have to wait and see whether Bloom’s wish for a full cast reunion can become reality, or whether Disney takes the franchise in an entirely new direction.