Fans Are Divided About Margot Robbie Potentially Stepping Into An Iconic Johnny Depp Franchise

The remolded future of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise was announced in 2020 and it turns out the future is female. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Margot Robbie and "Birds of Prey" writer Christina Hodson will reunite to helm a whole new, female-led cast within that universe. Previous franchise star Johnny Depp anticipated filming a sixth installment of the swashbuckling franchise, but Disney indefinitely halted that plan after Amber Heard's initial domestic abuse allegations arose in 2016. With numerous fans standing steadfast by Depp throughout his and Heard's ongoing legal drama, Robbie's involvement as the new face of "PoTC" displeased many.

With Depp's current defamation case against Heard unfolding televised in court, fans began calling for the return of Captain Jack Sparrow again. However, franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed to The Sunday Times in May that they still plan to move forward with the Robbie-led film. "We are developing two Pirates scripts — one with her, one without," the Hollywood heavyweight said. Upon hearing the news, Twitter lit up with some vocal responses. 

Team Johnny Depp was out in full force after it was revealed that Margot Robbie's the tentative new star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. After producer Jerry Bruckheimer's confirmation in The Sunday Times, one fan tweeted, "Don't know about the rest of the world, but #JohnnyDepp is #JackSparrow and the true pirate #PiratesOfTheCarribean... This news is too heartbreaking." 

Many others qualified that, while they are fans of Robbie, they won't be catching her "Pirates" flick. "Margot, honey, you're an amazing actress, you do fantastic work in Harley Quinn & Ready or Not . . . But I have to skip this out of respect for an abuse victim. I'm sure you'd do great work, and I apologize for you getting roped into the s**t," wrote one such user. (By the way, that's actually Samara Weaving in "Ready or Not," not Robbie, per the Daily Beast.) Although some users did seem enthused, such as one who exclaimed, "This movie is going to be freaking awesome!!!!," it seems that the franchise has work to do if it hopes to regain its full fanbase. As one user simply wrote, "I can't believe these movies are even still going. Three was a good stop." 

Meanwhile, Depp's supporters just have to wait and see if the star will be asked to return. "The future is yet to be decided," Bruckheimer told The Sunday Times.