While the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise is massively successful and loved by filmgoers all over the world, it also has its detractors. Indeed, every entry with the exception of the first installment, 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” has drawn mixed to poor reviews from critics, which might have affected the way some folks view the actors associated with Disney’s seafaring fantasy adventures.
With the films being on the receiving end of so much criticism, some of the actors who’ve appeared in them have mixed feelings about the movies as well. Keira Knightley — who plays Elizabeth Swann in four of the five “Pirates” films released to date — believes that they hurt her reputation as an actor, as she explained in a 2024 interview with Deadline. As she put it:
“I was seen as s**t because of them, and yet because they did so well I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for [namely, ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and ‘The Imitation Game’]. They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So, they’re a very confused place in my head.”
Meanwhile, Knightley’s co-star Orlando Bloom has said that he’d return to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise under one condition — a good script. With that in mind, would his on-screen wife come back under any circumstances?
Keira Knightly isn’t interested in sailing with the Pirates of the Caribbean again
Keira Knightley appears to be done with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies — in fact, she feels like she’s over starring in franchises in general. During the aforementioned with Deadline, the actor revealed that films of this ilk are very demanding for the artists who work on them, and she feels the overall experience isn’t worth the time and effort. To quote her directly:
“The hours are insane. It’s years of your life, you have no control over where you’re filming, how long you’re filming, what you’re filming.”
As of this writing, “Pirates of the Caribbean 6” appears to be stuck in development hell and the planned movie starring Margot Robbie is also off the cards. So, given that all of the franchise’s announced projects keep falling through, there might not even be any opportunities for Knightley and the gang to return to the fold. At the same time, hit sagas rarely stay sunken for too long, so it’s probably only a matter of time until fans are treated to more swashbuckling, cursed gold, and terrifying squid men.
