The brand new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales that launched this morning had plenty of surprises... but one of the biggest happened to be a title card. To the surprise of many fans, the middle of the spot announces the fourth sequel to the world as the "Final Adventure," suggesting that this may be the curtain call for Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. That would certainly be a fascinating development for this franchise... but according to co-director Joachim Rønning, you may not want to start counting down the days until the end just yet.
Following the trailer launch, I had the pleasure of chatting with Joachim Rønning on the phone this morning about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and my first question out of the gate was about the aforementioned title card. I asked the filmmaker if he and co-director Espen Sandberg specifically made the film as the conclusion to the long-running series, but he made it fairly clear that there's still the possibility of the series continuing beyond this chapter. Said Rønning,
It's difficult to ever know. I think that there's always... this is the beginning of the finale. [laughs] It depends on how you look at it. But I never take anything for granted, and I love the franchise. These kinds of movies, they remind me of the kind of movies I grew up with, those kind of adventure movies that made me want to become a filmmaker. So for me to be able to be a part of this and direct a Pirates of the Caribbean is a dream come true. But I don't know if it's the last one, or if they'll make another ten of them -- I don't know! But I hope so!
If we've learned anything tracking Hollywood franchises, it's that a sequel is on the table pretty much right up until the reboot goes into production. A windfall at the box office or just a good idea/approach can keep sequel hopes alive for any series... which is why it makes sense for Joachim Rønning to take this position on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales being an ending (especially if that wasn't an element that was included within his approach to the blockbuster). The response to the upcoming film could very well inspire a completely refreshed level of hunger for more high seas adventures, but that's something that we won't know until people actually get to see the finished product.
That time is coming in just a few weeks, as Walt Disney Pictures has the long-awaited sequel set to make its way into theaters on Memorial Day weekend. Given that it's set up to be one of the biggest movies of the summer, you can be sure that we'll be keeping a close eye on it. Be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more about Pirates of the Caribbean 5 from my interview with Joachim Rønning, and head over to Page Two to watch the brand new trailer!
