Why 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' Could Divide the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Fandom

The fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales, is set to hit theaters this summer, and the upcoming movie is already generating tons of buzz. The film brings directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg to the helm, hoping to bring a spark after the less successful fourth installment.

Initial reactions to the latest swashbucklin' adventure are already here, and the general consensus is that #DeadMenTellNoTales will be a return to form for the franchise:

The new Pirates of the Caribbean is a big step up from the lifeless 4. Back to the fun myth building, still miss Verbinski's imprint. — Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 29, 2017

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a pleasant surprise. Continues the legacy, focuses on the characters and the world.— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 29, 2017

Pirates 5 not as funny or epic as first 3 (yes) but way better than 4. Great ending. You may cry. Impressive visual effects. #CinemaCon2017— Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) March 29, 2017

It seems that fans have more than a few reasons to be excited. Dead Men Tell No Tales claims to be bigger, better, and like nothing we've seen before. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer says:

"We wanted to make this Pirates of the Caribbean really special and really fresh. So, we got two new directors, Joachim and Espen, who are Academy Nominated filmmakers, reinvigorate the franchise with something we've never seen before."

But from the trailers, that doesn't look to be the case. In fact, Dead Men Tell No Tales may be the cause of a divide between fans wanting more of the same and those looking for a new direction for the franchise.

Haven't we seen this before?

With what we know of the story so far, the latest installment of the Pirates franchise looks like a familiar story.

The film focuses on cursed pirates hunting for a girl named Carina Smyth, while The Curse of the Black Pearl featured cursed pirates hunting Elizabeth Swann.

Dead Men Tell No Tales will see Jack Sparrow racing to find the Trident of Poseidon, an item that will give him total control over the seas, ultimately saving him from Captain Salazar and his men. But wasn't that the plot of Dead Man's Chest? In the second installment, Jack was desperate to find the heart of Davy Jones in order to escape his fate.

Similarities to the films we know and love isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it could divide the opinions of fans, especially if we've been promised an adventure that will "reinvigorate the franchise with something we've never seen before."

The big question is: If we can already see similarities between Dead Men Tell No Tales and previous Pirates movies, what surprises do the writers have in store for fans?

Are the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' rules being rewritten by the new team?

When any film franchise hires a new director, writer, or both, it's always a risk. With #PiratesOfTheCaribbean, the stakes are higher than ever. The first three were helmed by Gore Verbinski, which gave the franchise a consistent style and story. Losing him as director in the fourth film was a massive change that audiences definitely noticed. So, with a new team, what should we expect for Dead Men Tell No Tales?

For the fifth installment, #Disney has hired a Jeff Nathanson. There's no question that Nathanson has some great writing credits under his belt, from Catch Me If You Can to Indiana Jones. With the Pirates franchise, it looks like he might be changing some of the rules that were set forth in the original trilogy. The perfect example of this? Will Turner himself.

In the finale of At World's End, Will was killed by Davy Jones. Jack put on his hero hat at the last second and helped Will to stab the heart of Davy Jones, ensuring that Will would return, albeit cursed for eternity. Now the Captain of the Flying Dutchman, he must ferry the souls of those that die at sea to the Other Side. In return, once every ten years he may step on land and be with Elizabeth before returning to sea.

It's not the best situation, but there is a silver lining: Will would not look like Jones so long as he did not forsake his duty. And if there's one thing we can count on, it's Will's honor, so why does the new trailer show him covered in barnacles?

There are a few potential reasons for this. Firstly, it could be that Nathanson has changed Will as a character. Will's essence is his honor, and forsaking his duty wouldn't be true to the Will Turner we know. The second (and perhaps more likely) possibility is that Nathanson has changed the nature of the curse, and that simply by being the Captain of the Dutchman, you are subjected to this dark fate. Changing what is canon is a dangerous game, and this may be related to the changes mentioned by producer Jerry Bruckheimer.