6 Ways Disney Can Still Save Pirates Of The Caribbean 6
4. Look At Marvel
Disney owns both these franchises, but where Marvel have excelled, Pirates has stuttered. It’s not Marvel’s name alone that is magic; it’s impossible to oversell Kevin Feige’s impact on the success of that juggernaut.
Marvel has focussed on smaller, character driven stories despite huge lurching plots. Pirates has always had some engaging characters (even Javier Bardem’s Salazar in the woefully disjointed fifth movie), but it’s wasted them more often then not. Barbossa hasn’t really shone since the second outing.
On the other hand, Marvel has no weak leads, but the supporting cast is just as impressive. The likes of Loki and Shuri have legions of fans behind them. For too long, Jack Sparrow has hogged the spotlight. They had his character down, but Depp’s not returning. They can’t recast him; love him or hate him his portrayal was iconic.
Marvel has a way of crafting fantastic leads around an awesome supporting cast. Black Widow started off as a secondary - some might even say tertiary - character in Iron Man 2 before supporting Chris Evans in Winter Soldier. Now she’s slated for her own movie. Pirates doesn’t have a character capable of this. But for a significant rebirth, it needs one.