The past few years have seen quite the resurgence of old franchises and TV shows. With the trend of nostalgia ruling Hollywood, tons of studios have been eager to dip their toes back into previously forgotten waters. Disney, as always, seems to be up on this trend, and has brought back the Star Wars franchise, as well as live-action adaptations of classic Disney cartoons. Additionally, the House of Mouse is bringing back the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, including many members of the original cast. After taking break from the most recent sequel, Orlando Bloom's Will Turner will once again be sailing, and now it appears that another franchise classic may be returning as well.
Keira Knightley may be joining the cast of the upcoming sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Despite previous reports to the contrary, TMZ has broken the news over on their Twitter, saying:
It looks like socialite turned pirate Elizabeth Swann may be swashbuckling once more. And it makes some sense; after all, you can't exactly have Will without Elizabeth.
After the fourth movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides took a side step to the overall narrative of the franchise (and didn't include Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom), it now appears that the franchise is going back to its roots. The filmmakers had previously stated that the upcoming sequel will feel much more like the original film, The Curse of the Black Pearl. This makes it seem like a bit of a reboot, and the inclusion of the original cast members certainly seems promising for the fifth installment in the franchise.
It's also worth noting that Keira Knightley's involvement in Dead Men Tell No Tales is little more than a rumor at this point. But TMZ presumably has some sources close to the project, so it may end up being true. Personally, I'd be glad to see Elizabeth's character in the upcoming sequel, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
When we last saw Elizabeth and Will, the couple had a tragic, yet somewhat happy, ending. During the events of At The World's End, Will was fatally stabbed by Davy Jones. In order for his life to be spared, he became the captain of The Flying Dutchman- but it had grave consequences on his relationship with Elizabeth. He'd only see his true love once every ten years, and the epilogue for At The World's End saw Elizabeth and their son (also named Will) waiting as The Dutchman came to shore.
With Will returning for the new sequel, it seems only natural that Elizabeth and their son would return as well. Alas, we'll just have to wait for an official announcement to confirm Keira Knightley's involvement in the sequel. Perhaps she was too busy playing Cable in Deadpool 2.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will sail into theaters May 26th, 2017.
