pirates of the caribbean is a fantasy genre film that not only takes the viewer on a thrilling sea voyage, but also attempts to introduce audiences to the mystics of the ocean and the life of pirates. At the center of this masterpiece franchise is the witty and cunning character of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Sparrow is portrayed as a character of infinite influence and an expert who indeed steals the spotlight in every scene he finds himself in. Of course, Jack is perhaps the main reason why audiences love this five-part franchise so much. That being said, pirates of the caribbean also introduces several other sweet and memorable characters such as Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), and many more.
While the cast in this franchise seems almost perfect, fans of pirates of the caribbean will be surprised to know that these actors were never the first intended choice for the characters they ended up playing. In the light of hope for a Pirates of the Caribbean 6as reported by Cinema mixhere’s a look at six actors who almost got cast in the franchise.
6/6 Jude Law
Will Turner gave the romantic edge to the overall action and fantasy of pirates of the caribbean. And no doubt, Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom portrays the character of a blacksmith turned swordsman and pirate. However, Jude Law was the first choice for Will Turner. The performance of the law in The talented Mr Ripley brought him into great battle, but it was Bloom’s turn as Legolas in Lord of the Rings that won casting directors. That said, this rejection had a silver lining for Law, who went on to turn to movies like Alfie, Closer, and repo men, among many others.
5/6 Matthew McConaughey
It’s true that Depp is Jack Sparrow, and no one could ever play him like he does. However, during the development of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Matthew McConaughey was one of the big names who played the part. Per The thingsDisney was initially interested in casting McConaughey because of his resemblance to actor Burt Lancaster, who played Capt. Vallo starred in the classic 1952 pirate movie The crimson pirate.
4/6 Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grantknown for his titular role in 1982 Withnail and me, was the first casting choice for Davy Jones’ character. Grant wasn’t the only name thrown around for this role, though. Actors like Jim Broadbent and Christopher Walken were other contenders for the character. Nevertheless, Bill Nighy ended up playing the gnarled sea monster in the pirates of the caribbean movies that turned out the best. Everything worked for Grant, of course; in terms of Disney franchises, the actor continued to star in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the Disney+ MCU series Loki (season 1).
3/6 Megan Fox
Syrena is introduced as a mermaid of unfathomable importance in the plot of the fourth episode, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The character, as we know, was eventually played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey, but before she was cast, Megan Fox was in great battle. Fox, who rode huge on the fame of her character Mikaela in the Transformers franchise at the time of casting, has made several public statements regarding her future role in the pirates franchise, essentially expressing her interest in joining the blockbuster series.
2/6 Ricky Gervais
The office‘s Ricky Gervais could have easily been part of the pirates of the caribbean franchise, but oddly enough, he rejected the role, telling Entertainment Weekly (via TrekFilm), “I didn’t feel like sitting in a hotel room in Los Angeles for two minutes on screen for nine weeks… I was offered a movie in the US starring Johnny Depp, but it was a small character , and I thought, ‘What’s the point?'”
1/6 Heath Ledger as Will Turner
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Another potential name that made headlines for the role of William Turner was that of: The Dark Knight actor Heath Ledger. At the time, however, Ledger was still finding his place in the industry and had performed in only a few major projects such as: 10 Things I Hate About You The Patriotand A knight’s story naturally making him less of a crowd pleaser in theaters in Disney’s eyes. Because of such box office politics, Bloom, who was quite known for his… Lord of the Ringswas offered the part of Will Turner.