In the vast ocean of Hollywood franchise history, few vessels have weathered as many storms, mutinies, and creative squalls as Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean . Since the At World’s End (2007) seemingly closed the original trilogy’s compass, the series has been a ghost ship—sighted constantly on the horizon but never quite making port. With On Stranger Tides (2011) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) offering diminishing critical returns but billion-dollar hauls, the question has never been if Disney would make a sixth film, but how .
Do not bet against the pirate. But do not hold your breath for a trailer.
As of April 2026, Pirates of the Caribbean 6 (hereafter referred to as Pirates 6 ) remains in a state of “development limbo”—a Bermuda Triangle of script rewrites, producer turnover, and the massive gravitational pull of star Johnny Depp’s legal battles and public rehabilitation.