Despite no installments in the franchise since 2017, Pirates of the Caribbean are some of the most interesting parts of each story. Drawing from history with items like the Treasure of Cortés, and using that to bring in Elizabeth's cursed amulet has helped the films to feel grounded in reality despite their fantastical features.
What the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be, and who it will star, are still in question. There has been talk about Pirates sequel with Johnny Depp and one without him are both possible. Either way, the next sequel will need a compelling treasure and story, and each of these real-world items could make for the perfect MacGuffin.
8 Captain Kidd's Buried Treasure
William Kidd's Wealth Could Make A Great MacGuffin For The Series
Pirates of the Caribbean has played fast and loose with history through its many installments, and there are many fun things that they could do with the idea of William Kidd and his treasure. A real figure who has had his stories blown into the status of legend, Captain William Kidd operated in the 17th century, first as a pirate hunter, then as a pirate himself. Accumulating great wealth, the man was eventually hanged by the British Empire, with much of his gold rumored to be buried somewhere, creating the association between pirates and buried treasure.
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The search for Kidd's mythic treasure after his execution calls to mind comparisons to the Netflix and anime iterations of One Piece, and would make a great story for a new Pirates movie. The series has shown a willingness to explore real-world pirates, including Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, and Captain Kidd might be the perfect way to follow up with a new film. There are so many creative ways that this real-world story could be twisted to fit in with the lore of the franchise.
7 Facing The Ghosts Of Vikings
An Earlier Seafaring Threat Could Make For A Great Story
Vikings are exciting seafaring people who could make for a very different look for the next installment of the franchise. Dating back between the 8th and 11th centuries, the age of Vikings, which saw Norse people taking to the sea in pursuit of conquest, occurred long before the events of Pirates of the Caribbean. However, through the use of spiritual elements, and in defense of an ancient Viking treasure, these characters and their incredible ships could be pulled from history to serve as the next threat for the Pirates cast to face.
Vikings could make for a unique look and could give the next film a good reason for a fresh setting in a location like Iceland or Scandinavia. The characters from the new Predator: Killer of Killers set a great example of how Vikings can be seen uniquely on screen, evolving the combat and style of the people. Even the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon might be a great example of how Vikings could be used in Pirates, pulling from both real-world history and fantasy to build something original and compelling.
6 Hunt For The Lost City Of El Dorado
The Mythic City Has Been Explored In Many Stories For A Reason
El Dorado, meaning "The Golden One", is a mythical lost city that has appeared in various stories throughout the centuries. Drawing from histories dating back to the 16th century, the mythic South American city is fabled to be full of inconceivable wealth. What this looks like varies from one to another, but some stories suggest that even the city's architecture is built from gold, which could make for an excellent treasure for the new Pirates of the Caribbean to feature.
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There have been so many movies about El Dorado over the years, as a place that is so rife with gold that its leader would ceremoniously cover himself in its dust makes for many compelling visuals. This could be easily used in a new Pirates movie, with finding the city being the quest for whatever crew Jack Sparrow or Margot Robbie's pirate wind up getting caught up with. While there are already many great stories about El Dorado, there is certainly room for Pirates to put its own interesting spin on the myth.
5 The Terrors Of Witchcraft
The Setting Of The Film Is Not Long After The Salem Witch Trials
In the 17th century, panic over Witchcraft was a horrifying thing that turned neighbor against neighbor. The most famous example of this comes from the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, from which many different stories have been drawn. While most of these events were based on religious panic, rather than the actual use of witchcraft in service of the devil, stories about witches from this era, and the fear that surrounded them, have made for some excellent films.
Pirates of the Caribbean has brought in all kinds of threats throughout its five-movie run, but bringing in something like American witches could be a very interesting turn for the next film. With a terrifying edge and the use of dark magic, witches would fit in perfectly with this world of ghosts and sirens. Whether as the villains, or as revisionist versions of witches like in Wicked, who could be companions for the heroes, witchcraft, and the Pagan items associated with it, could make for a great driving force for the next film.
4 The Search For Pandora's Box
Greek Myth Has Inspired Much Of The Pirates Franchise
Drawing from Greek mythology, the idea of Pandora’s Box has thematically been seen in other films in the franchise. However, bringing this mythical object in as a genuine treasure could add to an excellent next story in the franchise. A spiritual item that, when opened, released countless curses on humankind, this object would make sense inside the world of Pirates, which often draws from Greek myth. These nautical Pirates legends that have already been seen have included Zeus’ trident and the Kraken, among others.
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In the next film, a great antagonist with links to the spiritual world could unleash Pandora’s Box upon humankind. This would lead to Jack Sparrow and his crew having to search the seas for it, as terrifying curses, demons, and monsters plague the known world. In order to save humanity, the heroes of the next Pirates film would have to find this box and find a way to close it. This could be done with many great and fantastical visuals and sequences.
3 Quest For The Sunken World Of Atlantis
Another Lost City With A Distinct Visual Style Could Make For An Excellent Story
Atlantis has been referenced in some of the greater Pirates of the Caribbean lore. The video game Pirates of the Caribbean: Jewel of Atlantis made references to the titular jewel, which had led to the destruction of the ancient city. Drawing from all kinds of different lore, Atlantis, which itself was brought into stories as an example of the dangers of hubris by Plato, would make an excellent feature in the new film. Whether a living city trapped beneath the waves or a destroyed one full of treasures, the search for Atlantis would make for a compelling story.
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With a live-action Disney remake of Atlantis: The Lost Empire not currently in the works, the studio could explore similar ideas in the next Pirates film. Following the success of films like Aquaman, Avatar: The Way of Water, and even Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the next Pirates could lean into an exciting sub-nautical search in the next film. This would feel consistent and yet fresh to the franchise, which has been around since 2003.
2 The Fleet Of The Pirate Queen
Ching Shih And Her Fortune Could Be Excellent In The New Film
Pirates of the Caribbean needs a good villain, and few characters would be more compelling to feature in the next film than Zheng Yi. There have not been enough female villains in Pirates of the Caribbean, and building the next film around the stories of Zheng Yi might be a great way to rectify this. Her fleet of many ships was a terrifying force that extorted great sums of wealth throughout the South China Sea.
Beginning to operate late in the 18th century, she could also be a very young and charismatic villain who could last through multiple franchise stories.
As a sometime ally and sometime antagonist, Zheng Yi could make for a compelling character in the new film. This would lead to new territories and settings, and the scale of her fleet could make for some impactful seafaring action sequences. Beginning to operate late in the 18th century, she could also be a very young and charismatic villain who could last through multiple franchise stories.
1 The Disappearance Of The Wager
The Story Has Been Given Greater Focus Recently Thanks To David Grann
David Grann is one of the best non-fiction writers alive, and the author’s newest book, The Wager, outlines a historical event from 1941 that might be the perfect twist in the next Pirates film. A compelling story unto itself, the HMS Wager, a British ship, faced a shipwreck and an incredible mutiny that later caused great complications in the British legal system. Elements of that story, which took place near Chile, became complicated through different s, with the exact truth of what happened there much harder to divine.
A more historically accurate adaptation of David Grann's The Wager is already in the works by director Martin Scorsese, re-teaming with Grann after previously adapting his last work, Killers of the Flower Moon.
If this story was used in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, there could be connections between the mission that the Wager pursues, and elements of pirates, monsters, and spirits that could be used to explain what might have occurred. With men turning against one another and facing terrible conditions in a devastatingly fearful condition, the story could easily be made into something fantastical. This might be the best way to twist the next movie into something truly fresh.
