Austin Butler Reacts to Rumors About Starring in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Franchise

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Is a pirate’s life for Austin Butler? The 32-year-old Oscar nominee reacted to the rumors that he could possibly be joining the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise during a recent interview. Upon being asked about the speculation, Austin responded, “Oh really? I haven’t heard about that.”

“I loved Pirates of the Caribbean,” the Dune: Part Two star told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on Monday, June 10. “That just reminded me of when I was a kid. In elementary school, we had to make these posters that had like your favorite music, your favorite actors. And at that time — I don’t know what grade, it must have been fourth grade, third grade or something — but it was Pirates of the Caribbean was on there [sic].”

As for whether or not he’d set sail with the famous Disney franchise, Austin said, “It’s a hard one to touch because they did it so well. I loved what Johnny [Depp] did with that.”

Premiering "The Bikeriders" in London, Austin Butler addressed speculation that he could join the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. pic.twitter.com/kwF8F1hrZi

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) June 11, 2024

During a separate interview at one of the premieres for his latest film, The Bikeriders, Austin expressed his hesitation in joining such an iconic franchise.

“Well, I mean, it’s always … I mean, I haven’t … that is not real at all, you know?” he told a reporter, according to an X video shared by the Associated Press earlier this week. “But I think that any time you’re stepping into something that other people have done very well, you want to make sure that you would bring something special to that story or whatever. I loved the first [movie], so I don’t know if I want to necessarily jump into something.”

If a reboot starring the Elvis actor happens, Austin noted that it would “have to be done so well, but I don’t know.”

The last time Disney fans saw Johnny, 61, in his Captain Jack Sparrow attire was in 2017’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Original cast members Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom briefly reprised their roles as Elizabeth and Will Turner, respectively, in a post-credits scene, which features Will and Elizabeth sleeping while a shadow of Davy Jones approaches their bed. After Will awakens to find no one, he goes back to sleep — unaware of the wet floor.

A reboot is still in development for the franchise, but it will not include Johnny.