For many fans, the handsome and swashbuckling Will Turner is the real attraction of Pirates of the Caribbean. So, will Orlando Bloom be in Pirates 5? The blacksmith's assistant-turned-outlaw pirate-turned-captain of the Flying Dutchman was conspicuously absent from the fourth film in the series, On Stranger Tides… which might help explain why that was the least successful entry in the franchise so far, in terms of domestic box office. But with the release of a new Dead Men Tell No Tales trailer, our first full look at the upcoming sequel, Bloom's handsome mug is once again conspicuously absent. He's also nowhere to be seen on the poster that was released along with the new footage. What gives?
The two-and-a-half minute preview makes sure to give viewers a glimpse of everything from ghost sharks to a freaky CGI'ed version of young Jack Sparrow (in the vein of Civil War's young Tony Stark and Rogue One's young Princess Leia) — and yet it can't be bothered to give us one measly scene of Orlando Bloom in action. How rude. Well, fear not, fans: Will Turner will be in Pirates 5, even if the new trailer and poster mystifyingly decline to mention that enticing detail. In fact, we got a fleeting look at him in the film once already, with a quick shot in the Pirates 5 Super Bowl teaser featuring his sadly barnacled face.
So what will Captain Turner be up to this time around, after sitting out On Stranger Tides? Well, considering that the primary duty of the man who pilots the Flying Dutchman is to shepherd souls into the afterlife — and given that the main plot of Dead Men Tell No Tales is about a ghost pirate who literally refuses to die — it seems probable that Will's Davy Jones duties will come into play at some point in the film. Don't be surprised if he pops up towards the climax to drag Javier Bardem's Capitán Armando Salazar down to hell where he belongs.
There's also likely to be some family drama involved in the upcoming sequel, if co-star Brenton Thwaites (Gods Of Egypt, The Giver) is to be believed. In an interview with The Mirror, the franchise newcomer playing "Henry" may have spoiled a key secret regarding his character's identity. "It's about a young man who wants to reconnect with his father, Davy Jones," he told the publication in 2015. "There's a curse that prevents him from doing that. I think it's about how he goes around that and tries to fix it and he has to save his dad."
Is Henry the child of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan? And if so, will Keira Knightley also figure into Dead Men Tell No Tales in any way? Her involvement is a bit more of a mystery than Bloom's, since she told BBC Radio 2 back in 2014 that, "My time has definitely passed. I loved it, it was an amazing experience, but I won't be going back." But that hasn't stopped rumors from circulation that she'll pop up in the fifth movie in a cameo — at least in a post-credits scene designed to set up the plot for the sixth movie.
However, even that aspect of the film is now in doubt, given that the newly-released trailer advertises Dead Men Tell No Tales as "The Final Adventure." Is the Pirates franchise truly, finally ending? Or is it just a marketing strategy to make sure people turn out for the film? Naming the third X-Men film The Last Stand didn't stop 20th Century Fox from making seven more movies and counting, and advertising Dead Men Tell No Tales as the final adventure won't stop Disney from making more movies either, as long as this one turns out to be a financial success.
But just in case the upcoming sequel does turn out to be the last entry in the Pirates franchise, let's hope for a meaty role for Orlando Bloom and at least a passing appearance from Keira Knightley. It wouldn't be right to see the series end without one last reunion between Will and Elizabeth.
