Disney has been working on a new Pirates of The Caribbean without Johnny Depp.

Actor Johnny Depp has had a long career as a character actor, but he’s perhaps most synonymous with playing Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The franchise, which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription, has been out of theaters for a number of years now, although the studio was reportedly developing two different attempts at a reboot. Depp isn’t coming back to Pirates, but rumors claim the new star is about to sign on. And it’s a great choice.

In recent years, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s rocky relationship has in some ways eclipsed his long resume. That’s presumably why the House of Mouse is trying to move forward with Pirates of the Caribbean with Margot Robbie, as well as another movie. A new report by Life & Style claims that none other than Austin Butler is being approached to lead anew movie. An anonymous source claimed to know what’s going on behind the scenes, and was quoted saying:

Austin Butler and his team’s interest in the franchise has come at exactly the right time, and it doesn’t necessarily mean curtains for Margot’s take or even a return appearance by Johnny. The appeal of somebody like Austin is that he can completely transform into a character, and the potential is there to create something as unforgettable as Johnny’s work on the first film 21 years ago. Plus, he’s proven himself with accents, action and even weird comedy.

There you have it. While both Margot Robbie and Johnny Depp might still appear in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it sounds like Disney wants to first move forward with a movie starring Austin Butler. And considering just how much star power the 32 year-old actor has right now, he seems like an amazing choice. We’ll just have to see if/when this rumor comes to fruition and he actually signs on for the project.

Butler became a household name thanks to his work in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie, and has since appeared in a number of other big profile projects like Dune: Part Two and The Bike Riders. The same anonymous insider spoke to Life & Style about

There’s still no script, and Austin doesn’t sign up for a movie without seeing what the story is going to be, but unlike Margot and Johnny, you can easily imagine making three movies with Austin because he’s young, fit and isn’t heavily tied to another franchise at a rival studio the way Margot is. They just need to get the script right, and there’s no reason Margot and Johnny can’t be invited to the party and make some surprise appearances or cameos, schedules permitting.

Clearly this new possible Pirates movie with Austin Butler is still very much in development. The actor likely won’t sign on to his role without a script, so the writing process better pick up if this rumor is to come to fruition. After all, Butler is probably getting tons of offers right about now.

Only time will tell if/when the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise returns to theaters. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater next year.