The Pirates of the Caribbean series was a major success for Disney and Johnny Depp, but the films were more than just Jack Sparrow’s story. Other notable stars, like Keira Knightley, played key roles. Knightley portrayed Elizabeth Swann, the adventurous woman who ultimately found her place beside Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). She even made a cameo in Dead Men Tell No Tales, but that was over seven years ago. Would she consider joining the reboot? Knightley’s answer is a firm no, largely because her priorities now center around raising her children rather than taking on time-intensive film commitments.
Knightley recently gave an interview to The Times while promoting her upcoming Netflix thriller series Black Dove, set to release this December. When asked whether she’d return to Pirates or join another similar blockbuster franchise, the actress responded decisively:
“I can’t just travel for work anymore. That wouldn’t be fair to my kids, and I don’t want to. I chose to have children, and I want to raise them. So, I’ve taken a big step back. […] It’s insane how much time those films require. They take years of your life, with no control over where you shoot, how long it lasts, or what scenes are involved. […] I’ve surprised even myself in recent years with what I’ve turned down. I wanted pure entertainment. […] I’ve been offered projects about the deaths of children or mothers, and as a parent, I just can’t do that anymore.”
Knightley, who has two daughters with her husband, musician James Righton, cited her family as the primary reason she won’t return to something as demanding as Pirates. Even a smaller TV series is challenging enough, she noted, let alone a massive franchise.
Despite her current stance, Knightley has acknowledged both the positives and negatives of her experience with the Pirates series, crediting it for her career success while reflecting on its personal costs:
“It’s funny when something brings you success but also breaks you. People thought I was awful because of those films. But because they performed so well at the box office, they opened doors to opportunities and films that earned me Oscar nominations. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies were the most commercially successful films I’ve ever been in, but they also led to me being publicly dismissed. So, they hold a very contradictory place in my mind.”
While Knightley has closed the door on Pirates, the franchise itself is far from over. A reboot is reportedly in the works, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer hasn’t ruled out a cameo from Johnny Depp. For now, Depp’s broader return to Hollywood remains uncertain but seems increasingly plausible on the horizon.
