The later movies fared poorly with critics, but why did Gore Verbinski, who directed , leave 2017's well alone? Released in 2003, the original movie, seemed destined to sink at the box office before the movie arrived in cinemas. It was all the more surprising when director Gore Verbinski’s ended up being a massive hit with both critics and audiences. The Gore Verbinski movie made a whopping $650 million at the box office on a budget of only $140 million, making overnight stars of lead actors Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley and elevating Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow to instant icon status for generations of moviegoers.

However, the subsequent that rounded out the original trilogy failed to recapture the magic of the original, with Verbinski opting for a darker, more tragic tone and far more complicated mythology than the first film’s simple story. This said, these first two sequels, while convoluted, still enjoyed relative critical success and impressive box office receipts. When the trilogy ended, Gore Verbinski left the series, being replaced by director Rob Marshall for the financially successful but critically dismissed fourth outing, . The Gore Verbinski career wasn't over, as he was approached to but declined to direct 2017’s as he saw nothing but money propelling the franchise. Why did Gore Verbinski leave and never return?

Why Gore Verbinski Turned Down Directing Pirates Of The Caribbean 5

Why did Gore Verbinski, who helmed , leave ' fourth sequel to another director? Verbinski said there was “” to make . According to the terrible reviews and significantly worse box office of the fourth sequel, he was seemingly correct: all but ended Johnny Depp’s career-defining franchise. Verbinski’s missing influence on the later installments was blamed for the failure of at the box office, as he brought a consistent look and subsequent believability to his films in the series that later directors failed to recapture.

However, while the Gore Verbinski visual palette is striking in the movies, this theory doesn’t account for the success of the movies which changed directors thrice during their record-breaking cinematic run. Another potential reason for the failure of the later installments was the lack of fresh faces in the franchise's cast, something that the upcoming Margot Robbie-starring reboot of the series will be relying on to bring in viewers bored by the later sequels.

POTC's Original Director Turning Down Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Was The Right Decision

Ultimately, Verbinski's call not to direct was probably the right move for a number of reasons. For one, it would have been difficult for the franchise to revert back to the tone of its original trilogy after already diverging with Trying to re-capture the magic of didn't exactly work for Verbinski himself with , and it's even less likely that the could have pulled off such a move.

What's more, since Verbinski had already made it publicly clear that he viewed as a cash grab, getting him to direct could have led to bad publicity – and, even worse, it would have meant that the man helming the project didn't even believe in it. For these reasons, Verbinski's decision not to be involved with 5 was for the best.

Does Pirates Of The Caribbean Need Gore Verbinski?

is coming down the pipeline after a much-needed break for the franchise. However, Joachim Rønning, who directed , will be at the helm for the new movie. Based on the last two films' abysmal box office returns, is it possible that needs Verbinski in their corner? Out of all the movies, the 4th and 5th installments were by far the least well-received. Between Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly not returning and the narratives being riddled with plot holes, the last two movies didn't fare well with audiences and critics alike.

Gore Verbinski basically created the universe, with his sensibilities for aesthetics making a world that audiences eagerly accepted and wanted to be a part of. and attempted to expand the lore of Verbinski's universe, and to disastrous results. In addition, is facing the same issues as in that its egregiously long production timeline has lost audience interest along the way. While could be good, Gore Verbinski is who gave the franchise life.