Why Elizabeth & Will Didn't Return In Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (2024)

Will and Elizabeth didn't return for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides because Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley wanted to pursue other projects. For all the attention Johnny Depp received for his Oscar-nominated performance as Jack Sparrow in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, he wasn't the film's lead(s). That honor went to Bloom and Knightley, who co-starred as the star-crossed lovers Will Turner, a humble blacksmith's apprentice, and Elizabeth Swann, the adventure-seeking daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann. It's unknown if Bloom and Knightley will return for the potential Pirates of the Caribbean 6.

In the wake of The Curse of the Black Pearl's success, Disney green-lit a pair of sequels with Bloom and Knightley reprising their respective roles. Titled Dead Men's Chest and At World's End, the films follow the pair as their wedding plans are interrupted. While Will attempts to free his father from an eternity of servitude aboard Davy Jones' ship, the Flying Dutchman, Elizabeth is unexpectedly elected Pirate King. In the end, Will and Elizabeth finally marry, but Will is killed and resurrected as the Dutchman's new captain at a price: he and Elizabeth can only see one another every ten years when he's able to set foot on land again. With Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley leaving Pirates of the Caribbean to pursue other projects, that story wasn't revisited in Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

What Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley Said About Leaving Pirates Of The Caribbean

Combined with the At World's End credits scene (which showed Will reuniting with Elizabeth and their young son Henry), the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy ultimately concluded Will and Elizabeth's story on a bittersweet, but satisfying note. Because of this, Bloom and Knightley were ready to leave the franchise behind them after that, even as development on a fourth film (which would become On Stranger Tides) started to ramp up. Both actors openly talked about leaving the Pirates franchise to pursue other things.

In an interview with The Independent in 2010, Knightley confirmed she wouldn't reprise her role as Elizabeth for Pirates 4. Keira Knightley left Pirates because she felt she was done after three movies, and ready to work on other movies. Though fans of the original trilogy expected both Knightley and Bloom to reprise their roles, Knightly made it clear they wouldn't be involved in the fourth movie. Knightley was busy working on other projects when it went into production and told reporters:

I said when I finished the trilogy that that was going to be it - I had a wonderful time on it and I met some extraordinary people but you know, I think, for me three is enough, definitely.

Bloom made similar comments in an interview with MTV that year. When asked if he would be reprising his role as Will, Bloom assured reporters he wouldn't, explaining that, "I think Will is sort of swimming around with the fish at the bottom of the ocean," in reference to where the character was left at the end of the third movie. Bloom also explained his reason for leaving Pirates of the Caribbean to MTV:

I had a great time making those movies. I just really wanted to do different things.

Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley Moved Away From Tentpole Franchises

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Why Will Turner & Elizabeth Swan Should Return For Pirates of the Caribbean 6

Both Bloom and Knightley focused on acting in live theater and smaller films after wrapping the Pirates trilogy, and have only appeared in a handful of tentpoles in the years since. It appears the duo made a conscious effort to steer clear of movies that might have placed them under the same level of scrutiny that the Pirates franchise did. After leaving the Pirates franchise, Bloom and Knightley had opportunities to play a larger variety of roles instead of simply swashbuckling heroes. Knightley appeared in movies like Atonement and Begin Again, while Bloom appeared in Romeo & Juliet and The Good Doctor.

Meanwhile, On Stranger Tides introduced a new pair of young heroes-turned-lovers. It brought the story of Phillip Swift (Sam Claflin), an inexperienced but virtuous missionary imprisoned by the movie's villain Blackbeard, and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Syrena, a mermaid who is captured by Blackbeard and cared for by Swift, and later returned the favor by saving him after he's mortally wounded during the film's climax, to the screen.

The problem is, whereas Will and Elizabeth's courtship was central to the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the pair had actual arcs in all three films, Swift and Syrena's romance was largely inconsequential to the rest of the plot in On Stranger Tides (widely regarded as the worst Pirates movie), and the two received little in the way of actual character development. Suffice it to say, the two didn't work as replacements for Will and Elizabeth.

How Will & Elizabeth Were Part Of Pirates Of The Caribbean 5

In an effort to rejuvenate the property, 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales followed a now-grown Henry (Brenton Thwaites) as he teams up with Jack to undo the curse upon his father. Bloom and Knightley briefly appear as Will and Elizabeth. The two only appear in a single scene in the movie though, reuniting after the curse is broken.

The movie's credits scene further teased their involvement with Pirates of the Caribbean 6, only for its lackluster critical and commercial performance to put those plans into doubt. Instead, there are now reports of Disney soft-rebooting the series around a new protagonist, but with no mention of whether Bloom and Knightley would return. On Stranger Tides showed just how vital their characters are to the series in its current form, so it's hard to say whether the franchise would be better off picking up where the fifth movie left things or breaking away entirely from what's come before (if not somewhere in-between those two options).

Is Orlando Bloom Going To Be In Pirates 6? The Rumored Pirates 6 Cast

It's unknown whether Orlando Bloom will return as Will Turner for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but he and Keira Knightley did come back for Dead Men Tell No Tales, so it could be the case that the pair make an appearance for the final installment of the franchise. It's been announced that Johnny Depp will not be reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow for Pirates 6 due to his well-known controversies, though there have also been rumors that Disney may want him back to lure in audiences.

The confusing part comes in with the realization that there have been two Pirates of the Caribbean movies in development. The first is the final installment of the current franchise, for which a Will and Elizabeth return would make sense. It's also likely that Geoffrey Rush will return as Captain Barbossa, as it's hard to imagine the last installment without him. The only confirmed cast member is Kaya Scodelario, who is contractually obligated.

The second Pirates of the Caribbean movie is a spinoff series starring Margot Robbie. The spinoff will show the actress leading an all-female crew of pirates as she scours the seven seas. The film was to be written by Christina Hodson, who previously worked with Robbie on Birds of Prey, though the movie stalled in development. With two new potential properties in the works, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides feels like a lifetime ago. Though Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom walked away from Pirates of the Caribbean to pursue new roles, they did come around for Pirates 5, and will hopefully appear in the final movie.