The teaser for the fifth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales, has dropped. The successful franchise has done nothing but generate money for Disney in the past, and this return to the swashbuckling adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Will Turner should be no different.
Our first look at the new film centers around Captain Salazar, played by the masterful Javier Bardem, and his crew of ghostly pirates as they storm onto what looks like a British military ship. As they slowly and methodically take out the ship’s crew from the shadows, we begin to see Salazar walk across the deck with the editing careful to not show us his face.
Once everyone on board is either killed or at least subdued, we see the face of a young man in the brig below deck. We’re not privy to his name or his history, but it is very apparent that Salazar intends to make him a part of his plans.
“Find Sparrow for me,” Salazar commands the young sailor, “and tell him, ‘Death comes straight for him.’”
Salazar’s line brings back a very real and very spooky sense of danger experienced from the first film. As black ooze drips from Salazar’s mouth, we get the sense that he is very intent on finding Sparrow and getting revenge for whatever he did to Salazar.
Interestingly enough, Bardem, a Spanish actor, appears to maintain his nationality, calling himself, “Capitán Salazar.” Bardem won an Oscar for his supporting role in No Country for Old Men.
As for the prisoner Salazar speaks to, my guess is that he is the son of Turner (played by Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (played by Keira Knightley), protagonists from past Pirates movies. He has the hair and the looks, that’s for sure.
But despite the amount black ooze seeping from Salazar’s teeth emanating a tone of seriousness, it still looks like there’s going to be the typical Pirates of the Caribbean humor we’ve come to enjoy with the Jerry Bruckheimer-, Disney-produced films.
Following Salazar’s demand of the stranger, he asks, “Will you say that to him? Please?” in what was an obvious plug of humor. I think the teaser did an excellent job of epitomizing the distribution between seriousness and humor, as the teaser’s one humorous part lasted no more than three seconds.
Though, something about this trailer seemed off: Where is Johnny Depp? Seeing as Depp has become the main character of these movies, it’s interesting that Disney chose not to include him in this teaser. As of now, we have no idea what his role will be, but Salazar supposedly looking to kill Sparrow is a sure sign that the swordplay and adventure the series is most well known for is sure to return.
Dead Men Tell No Tales is set to release in 2017.
