There’s not much concrete information out there about Pirates of the Caribbean 6, and there’s no telling whether Johnny Depp or the other original cast members will return — though Depp reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow would pay off a hilarious sitcom joke from six years ago.

The last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, debuted to overwhelmingly negative reviews back in 2017, effectively killing the once-great Disney franchise for years.

While Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom both had cameos in Dead Men Tell No Tales, Depp remained in a leading role, as he had for the entire series.

To this day, many Pirates of the Caribbean fans associate the franchise with Captain Jack Sparrow.

It’s no wonder, then, that there has been so much speculation surrounding Depp’s possible return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. 

And there are questions about whether the franchise would be better off starting anew rather than bringing back Captain Jack.

If the latter happens, it will be hilarious for one reason: it will fulfill a brilliant sitcom joke made on the heels of Dead Men Tell No Tales’ 2017 release.

The Good Place’s Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 Joke Explained

The Sitcom Suggests Another Sequel Would Be A Punishment

In The Good Place season 2, the sitcom’s heroes embark on a journey to the Bad Place, and they travel to the series’ version of Hell by train. At the train station in the Bad Place,there’s a poster for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 with Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow on it.

It reads, “The Haunted Crow’s Nest… Or Something. Who Gives A Crap. Now Playing Everywhere – FOREVER.”

As The Good Place season 2 aired from September 2017 to February 2018, this joke came right after the critically panned Dead Men Tell No Tales. And it’s clear what the sitcom is trying to say about the franchise.

The implication is that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 would be a punishment worthy of Hell, likely because of how the franchise had been declining at that point.

While all the Pirates movies but The Curse of the Black Pearl have gotten “rotten” critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the first three were at least well-received by general audiences.

On Stranger Tides marked a turning point for the Disney franchise, and although Dead Men Tell No Tales saw slight improvement on the audience side, it still didn’t live up to the original trilogy. The Good Place‘s joke suggests this decline in quality would continue if a sixth movie were made.

The Good Place Showed Why Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 With Depp Shouldn’t Happen

The Good Place may have been poking fun at Pirates of the Caribbean, but the sitcom’s hilarious joke pinpoints why a sixth movie with Johnny Depp shouldn’t happen.

The first five films’ Rotten Tomatoes scores prove that the franchise was getting increasingly stale, and that can be seen in POTC‘s box office numbers as well.

Dead Men Tell No Tales made significantly less than its predecessors, with the sequel grossing $794 million worldwide after three films that either passed $1 billion or nearly did (via The Numbers).

To be fair, the franchise failed to come up with another compelling story on par with Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner’s. And its turn for the worse took place when Depp was helming the series.

Although Captain Jack Sparrow remains a fan-favorite character from the Pirates of the Caribbean property, whether he can truly hold his own as a lead is questionable.

Disney may be better off attempting to come up with something fresh and different for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. A new angle could revive the series in a way that Depp’s return simply won’t.

What We Know About Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 With Johnny Depp

The Disney Sequel Is In Development

Although Pirates of the Caribbean has been confirmed by Disney, not much is known about the upcoming sequel.

In July 2023, People reported that Depp was willing to return for another Pirates movie, assuming it’s “the right project.”

However, no official casting news has been announced, so it’s unclear if Disney or Depp have any concrete plans to collaborate in the future.

There’s been no other casting news either, but the film is reportedly in development with Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott penning the script.

Joachim Rønning is returning as director, so things do seem to be moving for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, if slowly.