Orlando Bloom Reportedly Returning For This Huge Movie

Hold on to your (pirate) hats ladies and gentlemen, the next installment of Pirates of the Caribbean may have a welcome surprise in store for you!

Despite the somewhat less-than-welcoming reception offered the last two films in the franchise (On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales), Disney is still planning on going ahead with a sixth swashbuckling entry, reportedly in the form of a reboot. No title has yet been revealed, but the script is well underway with screenwriter Ted Elliott, who has worked on the previous films. Joining him on writing duties Craig Mazin, the man who created the hit HBO miniseries Chernobyl.

As the story continues to come together behind closed doors, it sounds like the studio is pretty deep in consideration when it comes to casting options. In 2018, it appeared that a serious rift had formed between the studio and Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp, regarding the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean film. This break, naturally, came after Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard's divorce turned very ugly with allegations of abuse from both parties. Even as he continued to appear in high-profile projects like the Fantastic Beasts movies, public perception of Depp's career hit a low point that called his big-screen future into question.

Now, however, it seems Disney has perhaps changed their mind. We Got This Covered reported in March of 2020 that rumors suggested the studio may be hoping to convince Depp to return as everyone's favorite rum-drinking pirate captain after all. We'll have to wait and see how that plays out, but in the meantime, what about Depp's co-pirate, Orlando Bloom?

There may be another surprise waiting in the wings for fans of the franchise. A report by We Got This Covered seems to indicate that Orlando Bloom, who played a pivotal role in the first three films in the franchise, may also be returning for the sixth installment. Of course, this is still just an unconfirmed rumor that neither the studio nor Bloom has actually spoken about yet, but it does seem to come from sources that may have a little birdie inside the Disney organization.

Bloom played the blacksmith-turned-pirate Will Turner in the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. His story saw him falling in love and later marrying Elizabeth Swan (Kiera Knightley) during the climactic battle in At World's End after a failed attempt at tying the knot in Dead Man's Chest. The third movie's conclusion saw Will doomed to take Davy Jones' place as cursed captain of the Flying Dutchman, leaving his wife (and the child he didn't realize he was about to have) behind on dry land. He returned for a short appearance in the fifth film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, in which his now grown son Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) fights to free him from the Flying Dutchman.

Early reports of a Pirates reboot came as a surprise to fans, considering that the franchise isn't exactly all that old, with the last film released in 2017. No plot details have yet been shared with the public, with the exception of the rumor that the lead role could this time be taken up by a female pirate. It wouldn't be the first time the franchise gave fans a swashbuckling lady fiend, but it would be the first time she'd take the lead, if that rumor turns out to be well-founded. If Depp and Bloom do manage to sign on the dotted line for the film, it seems like they'll possibly have a more minor presence than they have in previous films. If the franchise pivots to center on a woman for a change, the likelihood is that the pair of veteran Pirates actors would take on similar roles to the one Bloom took on in Dead Men Tell No Tales, making glorified cameo appearances rather than having actual starring roles in the film.

Of course, with their involvement thus far only being the stuff of rumors, we could well see a completely new cast in the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film altogether, sans any veterans of the franchise. Whether or not a reboot of that kind would sit well with fans remains to be seen — particularly after it seems their reaction to the news of Depp's exclusion from the upcoming film is the very reason Disney has reportedly decided to reopen the dialogue in an attempt to bring him back into the fold.