Pirates of the Caribbean: is female reboot a really good idea?

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Pirates of the Caribbean special: is female reboot a really good idea?
Pirates Of The Caribbean Is Female Reboot A Really Good.jpg

Pirates of the Caribbean special: is female reboot a really good idea?

The title is not intended to be provocative or contrary to the idea of ​​a female franchise in itself. We are not against this kind of projects but we want to understand if a relaunch of this type fits the times we are living or not. We had already talked about it some time ago, of a Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp, and a little like an Iron Man without Robert Downey Jr. we had come to the conclusion that the DNA of the saga was deeply encoded by that of its protagonist. Remove its main base – perhaps the most essential – it would mean breaking its constitutive spiral, changing its structure and changing the appearance of the franchise more or less radically. Which is fine, if you are willing to take the risk of experimenting with new, more inclusive and courageous paths, but it’s really what Pirates of the Caribbean needs? Are we talking about an idea to save a film series in crisis, with reasoned potential, or yet another production stimulus listening to minorities and change and less than the real needs of the saga? Let’s try to understand it together.

Route change

The facts first. Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Lookout it was not the success hoped for. Despite the beauty of 230 million dollars, it has grossed just 794 million, which translates into lowest result of the entire saga in terms of cost-benefit. The idea that Disney had made about it was quite different, namely that a six-year wait and a more significant return to the origins would have helped the box office of the fifth chapter. It must be said that at the time of the release, in 2017, the proceeds of the film were punished by the scandal linked to Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard (which continues today), given some boycotts against the alleged abuse of the actor against the woman. Politics family friendly of the company and the label of politically correct which has always distinguished Disney, however, could hardly contemplate the return of a star now so controversial as Depp, which prompted the company and the producers to think a different approach for a possible new chapter of the franchise. Hence the idea of ​​moving away from the initial model in some way and opting for something more “modern” and thematically current, obviously inclusive (also in contrast with the controversies related to the fifth chapter) and without Captain Jack Sparrow.

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Speaking of reboots, it is interesting to note how it began to be discussed even two years after the release of La Vendetta di Salazar, that is very early. However, Hollywood’s production times have shrunk radically in a single cinematic decade, which doesn’t make the initiative as rare as it seems – just think of Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Female decoding is the real revolution, the one that could divide the fans of a series always lived on the shoulders of a male protagonist.

Self we look at Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters or at Gary Ross’s Ocean’s 8, at the box office revenue, we notice how a radical change of course in the economy of the character of a saga did not help in any way to recovernet of qualitative results not even comparable to the original titles despite their modest goodness.
You can blame whoever you want: to a certain male chauvinism that still dominates society today, to boycotts, to marketing, to discontented fans of the turnaround, but the fact remains clear, namely that to reboot a much loved saga placing at the center of the narration and action of female characters it’s a bad idea as far as the revenue is concerned. Even worse if you think then only and exclusively looking at the names to be involved or the dictats to be desecrated and not to the concrete virtues and potential of the film.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Now, coming back and concluding the reasoning on “Pirates of the Caribbean”, the production machine set in motion by Disney seems to have thought carefully about this. First of all, to lead the project there is always Jerry Bruckheimer behind the scenes, which after the enormous response received by Bad Boys For Life is living a second life, both with this chatted reboot and with the announced return of National Treasure. Nobody knows the franchise better than he, just as nobody more than he could have a wrong voice, thinking of production patterns to overcome. And then a Ted Elliot, one of the historical writers of the saga, Disney and Bruckheimer wanted to support one of the most appreciated writers of the moment, Craig Mazin, emblazoned and awarded for his extraordinary work in the HBO Chernobyl miniseries. Let’s say that the qualitative element is very present in the production.

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Net of the uncertainty of such an operation, which could cost dear to the saga, one of the things that makes us less perplexed is also the name chosen (or presumed as such) for the new protagonist, who is in no way among the best known or with a celebrity life that can identify her in a well-rounded star . We are talking about Karen Gillan, famous above all for Doctor Who and its role as Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which makes it an excellent protagonist-character, another essential element for the saga.

Someone says he could dress the role of Redd, one of the characters in the pirate-themed attraction of the Disney parks, but it’s all very smoky and uncertain. At the moment Rossio and Mazin are working on the script and it seems that the major wants to hurry to pack this reboot in a timely manner, let’s say also within two to three years, so we will definitely return to discuss “Pirates of the Caribbean “ in the months to come. And to the questions posed at the beginning, the answers, given the argument adopted by us, are two: no, it is not what the franchise needs but yes, the idea has actually very reasoned potential.