Pirates of the Caribbean Sends Mixed Signals

For a long time, it looked like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was destined to be made. In spite of Johnny Depp’s equivocation, having been burned by the ousting of Disney chairman Dick Cook, he seemed ready to set sail for a fourth film. The script was being finished, the director was signed, and there was even word of a shooting schedule. Now Scifi Wire reports that Bill Nighy, who played Davy Jones in the previous two iterations and isn’t even going to be in the fourth film, said last week that it’s all premature:

“I understand that there was an announcement that there was going to be a fourth, and now I’ve been told since that that was not a reliable announcement,” Nighy told a group of reporters last week while promoting the animated film Astro Boy.

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But Nighy doesn’t think Bruckheimer’s in any hurry, either. “Jerry at one point said we have to wait until the world is pirate-hungry again,” Nighy said. “I think I’m getting a taste in my mouth.”

Still, Nighy’s not writing a fourth installment off. “I’m pretty sure that there will be [a fourth],” Nighy said. “I would be amazed if there weren’t, given the success of the first three.”

These sound like vague premonitions, but given the rocky seas that production has traveled, there may be some second guessing in the ranks. Whether or not it is delayed, the production history of this film, I think, has actually become a more riveting drama than the last two films combined. However, it would be better for all involved, including the audience, if this film succeeds, instead of sinking into the icy depths.