Exclusive: Dylan O’Brien Top Choice For Pirates Of The Caribbean Series

Teen Wolf actor Dylan O'Brien is in strong consideration for a Disney+ Pirates of the Caribbean series.

By Nathan Kamal | Published

Teen Wolf actor Dylan O’Brien is currently the number one pick to potentially be selected as the lead of a new Pirates of the Caribbean series on Disney+. According to our trusted and proven sources, Dylan O’Brien is under strong consideration for the revival of the Pirates franchise, which has been dormant since Dead Men Tell No Tales was released in 2017. As we previously reported, Disney looks to be bringing back one of its most profitable IPs in episodic form, which matches a lot else that has been happening in the entertainment mega-company. 

Dylan O’Brien first came to prominence as Stiles Stilinski on the MTV Teen Wolf series (adapted from the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie of the same name, and to a lesser extent, the subsequent animated series and Jason Bateman-starring sequel), following that up with the popular YA movie series Maze Runner. More recently, he appeared in the acclaimed Taylor Swift music video “All Too Well” alongside Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink, but undeniably, Dylan O’Brien becoming the new lead of the Pirates of the Caribbean would be a pretty huge step up. 

johnny depp pirates

Of course, any question of Dylan O’Brien as the new main actor of the Pirates of the Caribbean brings up the matter of the former lead of the franchise, Johnny Depp. Over the course of the last several years, a series of legal issues, domestic abuse allegations, and erratic personal behavior turned the former A-list star into a pariah in Hollywood; the Pirates franchise ground to a halt, he was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the Fantastic Beasts series and his future as an entertainer seemed to be in doubt. 

However, after the very publicized defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his estranged former spouse Amber Heard ended largely in the former’s favor, the actor seems ready to make a comeback. We previously reported that he may potentially be interested in coming back to the Pirates franchise (despite his previous claims he would never) and that long-time collaborator Tim Burton is developing a sequel to their hit movie Sleepy Hollow. With all that in mind, would Dylan O’Brien be brought on board a Pirates of the Caribbean series as the new star, or as a bridge to a new film starring Johnny Depp?

Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has claimed that another feature film is in the works, but there has yet to be hard evidence of that. On the other hand, Disney has very much been pivoting to releasing new shows and specials based on its most profitable IP (like Star Wars, Marvel, and potentially, Pirates) as Disney+ content, rather than risky and expensive theatrical films. If Disney is looking to test the waters for interest, Dylan O’Brien in a Pirates show is probably a good way to go about it.

There have been rumors of both Margot Robbie to Dwayne Johnson taking on the lead role in the Pirates franchise, but considering both of them have taken key roles in Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Studios, it makes sense that Disney might look for a more affordable, younger star. Dylan O’Brien might need to start working on his old-timey pirates accent.