The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is finally sailing back into Disney waters, with a sixth movie moving closer to reality as Johnny Depp enters talks to return as Captain Jack Sparrow. For a series that has spent nearly a decade caught between reboots, competing scripts, and unanswered questions, the next voyage could look very different from the one fans remember. Yet the most intriguing part is not simply whether Jack Sparrow will return, but what kind of Pirates story Disney wants to tell next.

The franchise has been drifting for years, but D23 has now given the old Black Pearl a fresh glimmer on the horizon.

At D23, Iron Studios unveiled a new Pirates of the Caribbean collectible featuring Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow facing off against Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones. It is a particularly loaded pairing for longtime fans because these two characters represent the strange magic that made the original trilogy feel larger than a conventional swashbuckler. Sparrow was never the most dependable pirate on the seven seas, while Jones brought an eerie, almost gothic menace to the franchise. 

The timing makes the collectible feel even more interesting. Iron Studios had already announced Pirates products for 2026, and the new piece gives fans another visual reminder of the franchise’s enduring pull. It also brings back the imagery of the films at a moment when Disney is once again trying to get the sixth chapter moving. There is no release date attached to the collectible yet, but for fans who remember the Flying Dutchman emerging from the mist, Jack’s compass pointing toward trouble, and Hans Zimmer’s score turning every horizon into an omen, the symbolism is hard to miss.

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And behind that piece of nostalgia sits the much bigger question: can Disney actually bring the franchise back without simply trying to recreate the past?

Jerry Bruckheimer has now confirmed that discussions with Johnny Depp are underway while the screenplay continues to take shape. 

“We’re talking with Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay, and hopefully we can get this done,” said the veteran producer speaking with Deadline at D23.  

The wording matters. Depp is not officially confirmed, and the film remains at the script stage. That uncertainty has been baked into Pirates 6 for years. Since Dead Men Tell No Tales sailed into theaters in 2017, the project has passed through multiple versions, including a separate Margot Robbie-led idea. Bruckheimer has previously suggested Depp could return if he liked the material, while recent reporting indicates the new story could place Robbie’s character at the center with Sparrow in a supporting role. 

That may actually be the smartest way forward. Jack Sparrow was never most effective when he carried the entire ship alone. In the original films, he worked because Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Barbossa, and Davy Jones gave his chaos something to collide with. A supporting Sparrow could therefore feel less like a victory lap and more like the return of a legendary pirate who knows exactly when to steal the scene.

For now, the sixth movie still has no release date, but the tide has clearly turned. After years of development limbo, Pirates of the Caribbean finally has movement behind the sails.

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Would a returning Jack Sparrow make Pirates 6 worth the wait, or should Disney let the franchise chart an entirely new course? Share your thoughts in the comments.