Margot Robbie is a beautiful and talented young actor with the skills to land any role she wants, even if that role is normally filled by a man. She will be playing the new Captain Jack Sparrow in an exciting female-led version of the franchise. It isn’t 2003 anymore (the year both Pirates of the Caribbean and the female-led Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines came out) and in 2021, there is a definite advancement in Hollywood movies for more diversity and inclusion among all people.
Terminator is generally a female-empowering series, but Pirates of the Caribbean has never seen a female lead. James Cameron has only directed the first two Terminator movies (considered to be the best) but wants to do another, and Margot Robbie is being eyed for a part. Either role would be successful with the actor’s name attached, but should she play the devious pirate or the heroic savior of humanity?
The new Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be a reboot with Margot Robbie starring as a new Jack Sparrow-esque character. Many fans seem to think that this is a mistake and should be a spin-off movie or series to stand on its own. But a reimagining of the story is an exciting idea (especially with an actor like Margot), and it won’t do any harm to the original movies or character whether the reboot is successful or not. A lot of this backlash at the announcement for Margot Robbie to replace Depp came from fans who wanted to support Johnny Depp in his personal life. Fans also thought this would make it impossible for Johnny Depp to ever make another cameo or appearance in the future of the franchise.
But just like the initial backlash at the announcement of Robert Pattinson starring in The Batman, fans might change their minds when some photos or trailers are released. A legitimate complaint among movie fans is that Margot Robbie has already played a character very similar to Jack Sparrow. She is mostly recognized for her role as Harley Quinn, who is another antihero that people can’t help but love. Though the tones of the worlds each character inhabits are very different, it could be a problem unless the actor creates a completely separate character with different mannerisms and even a voice change like her Harley Quinn character.
Pirates of the Caribbean has generally been more successful than the Terminator franchise financially. The Terminator was released in 1984 and made about $79 million, compared to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl which made about $655 million. The most recent film in the series, Terminator: Dark Fate only managed to make $261 million, just barely more than its budget. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales from 2017 was the most recent Pirates film, making a whopping $795 million. Because of these numbers, movie fans say that the Terminator needs a reboot more than Pirates of the Caribbean does.
Many think Margot Robbie’s star power would help the Terminator franchise out, and that’s true. But it would still need to be a great story, perhaps a period piece set in the 80s with cinematography that made it look like a product of that era (a recent trend seen in movies like The Lighthouse and Mank). Margot Robbie will be playing an lGBTQ+ pirate character that’s all about girl power. This is very similar to Harley Quinn, but would still be enjoyable to watch nonetheless. Because Pirates of the Caribbean needs less help than Terminator does, and the “new Jack Sparrow” and Harley Quinn are so similar, it would do more good for Robbie to join the cast of the Terminator franchise than POTC where she could play an everyday girl turned hero rather than a villainous antihero.
But all of that aside, twice the Margot Robbie movies is better. And whether she chooses to stick with Pirates of the Caribbean and forget Terminator, or if she picks up that project too, there can only be good things to come from the actor. In addition to Margot Robbie being eyed for a Terminator role (possibly as Sarah Conor or even a new character) John Cena and Dwayne Johnson are also being talked about for the role as the title character. If this doesn’t get fans of the franchise excited, nothing will. Although it’s unclear if the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger will make a return for the new film or not, if the film is written and directed by James Cameron, it will be a spectacle no doubt.
Both roles suit the talented actress well, but if she could only be in one movie, most fans would probably hope that she’d choose Terminator just because of the varied performance she could give that wouldn’t resemble any of her previous work. With names like John Cena and Dwayne Johnson and talent like James Cameron, it would be an exciting movie for sure.
