Bruckheimer confirmed the new installment is still in active development. Craig Mazin ( The Last of Us) was initially collaborating with original series writer Ted Elliott before the strikes, but Jeff Nathanson ( Dead Men Tell No Tales) has since taken the lead.

Johnny Depp faced a major setback in his career during his legal battle with former partner Amber Heard. For the unversed, Heard filed a defamation case against Depp in 2022. The trials made

Bruckheimer previously told EW that he was eager for Depp to return to the role, despite Disney cutting ties with Depp, which the actor claimed happened as a result of the publication of a 2018 op-ed in which his ex-wife, Amber Heard, wrote that she had been a victim of domestic abuse but did not mention Depp by name.