Its always a sad sight to see an actor leave a role, but the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise needs to move on from Johnny Depps Jack Sparrow

ThePirates of the Caribbean franchise has needed to move on from Johnny Depps Jack Sparrow for some time now. With the news that Johnny Depp has officially stepped down from the role of Grindelwald in Harry Potter spin-off series Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, its a good time to revisit the controversial decision to remove Jack Sparrow from the soon-to-be-rebooted Pirates of the Caribbean franchise before the adventure series begins itssixth installment.

Depps decision to officially step down from the role of Grindlewald comes amid a prolonged and messy legal battle with the actor's ex-wife and alleged abuser Amber Heard,a lengthy and very public divorcewhich makes it clear that Depp could benefit from some time away from work. When it was first announced that thesixthPirates of the Caribbean franchise installment would be a reboot that moved on without Depps iconic Captain Jack Sparrow, fans were initially devastated at the news, as Depp is frequently considered the soul of theDisney franchise.

Related: Pirates of the Caribbean: All 4 Captains of the Black Pearl Explained

However, even disregarding the actors personal circumstances, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has needed to move on from Captain Jack Sparrow for some time now, and rebooting the series without him might be the best move for the uneven series of movies. Beginning in 2003 with The Curse of the Black Pearl(directed by The Ring helmer Gore Verbinski, of all people), the Pirates of the Caribbean franchisestarted life as a movie adaptation of a Disneyland ride. As a summer blockbuster on par with the same years Eddie Murphy flop The Haunted Mansion, expectations were not excessively high for the first Pirates of the Caribbean. But the movie shocked audiences and critics alike by being a spectacular action-adventure on par with classics of the genre like Raiders of the Lost Ark. The movie immediately spawned a pair of lesser sequels which nonetheless succeeded at the box office before dropping its supporting cast for the fourth sequel On Stranger Tides, which received a harsh critical drubbing, and a fifth, Dead Men Tell No Tales, which lost audience support as well as faring even worse with critics.

The balance of comedy, horror, and action-adventure captured in The Curse of the Black Pearl was unexpectedly immaculate for a movie burdened with no more expectations than adapting a theme park attraction to the screen, so it was inevitable and understandable that the franchises first 2 sequels struggled to recapture the magic. But while Depps performances in both Dead Mans Chest and At Worlds End were spotlighted as a high point of both muddled movies, the films were also criticized forcentering his character at the expense of the surrounding cast.Yes, Jack was still a fun and funny presence, but bothmovies attempted to maximizehis screen time while also telling a complex, sprawling story, and as a result,Dead Mans Chest and particularly At Worlds End ended up missing out on vital scenes such asDavy Jones killing theKraken, leaving the movies feeling bothunderwritten and convoluted.

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Pirates of the Caribbean Is Better Without Johnny Depp - Screen Rant