Summary
- Geoffrey Rush, as Captain Barbossa, may not return for the
Pirates of the Caribbean
reboot, feeling his character’s story has been concluded. - Rush suggests a ghost-like return for Barbossa in the reboot, drawing inspiration from classic literature like
Hamlet. - The upcoming
Pirates
reboot may have to reintroduce Barbossa’s character, potentially without the involvement of Rush.
Although a major reboot of Pirates of the Caribbean is in the works, Geoffrey Rush, who played Captain Hector Barbossa, the archenemy and rival of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), has shared a mixed response to his possible inclusion in the new movie. Barbossa made his legendary debut as the cursed captain of the Black Pearl in the first film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. While he cheated death in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, after being brought back to life by Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), Rush is hesitant to reprise his role in the upcoming film.
As reported by Collider, Rush addressed why bringing back Barbossa for the reboot would be a bad idea. He said,
“I wouldn’t let them do that in the last film because I said, ‘I sacrificed my life for my daughter.’ You can’t just suddenly go, we’re going to bring him back. But I did come up with a good idea, which is classically based. Hamlet’s father comes back as a ghost, and I just said, ‘I can come back…'”
Rush’s statements indicate that he is not particularly interested in being cast as Barbossa in the reboot, but he is not completely against it either. It seems that, like many other aspects of the new iteration – or iterations – of the franchise, fans can only wait and see what transpires in the coming months.
Why Bringing Back Captain Barbossa Is a Bad Idea
Captain Hector Barbossa, after making a memorable debut as a crafty and treacherous pirate driven by a personal agenda, redeemed himself in the final film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. In the film, Barbossa discovers his long-lost daughter, Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), for whom he sacrifices his life in an attempt to kill Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem).
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While Barbossa has always been known for being desperate in his pursuit of valuable treasures, his ultimate sacrifice to save the true treasure, his own daughter, gave his character a perfect conclusion, although the same cannot be said for Carina, who searched for him her entire life and lost him as soon as she found him. This could be a reasonable justification to resurrect Barbossa and reunite him with his daughter, but might not work for one particular reason.
The upcoming film is a reboot, which means every event that has happened so far in the original films will likely serve as inspiration for the new installment, rather than being tied in a more meaningful way. So, the writers will have to introduce Captain Barbossa all over again if he is to appear at all. It makes sense that Geoffrey Rush would not want to ruin one of his most memorable roles, but whatever the future holds for the film franchise, we can only hope for a solid reboot that lives up to the hype, with or without the involvement of some of its most iconic stars.
All movies of Pirates of the Caribbean are available for streaming on Disney+.
