Pirates of the Caribbean to get major reboot as Disney axes Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Photo / Supplied

Pirates of the Caribbean is set to undergo a huge reboot now that Disney has axed its star, Johnny Depp.

The studio hopes to bring a "new energy and vitality" to the franchise, and have enlisted the help of Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to make that happen.

Its decision to axe Depp was revealed in October, and comes despite the fact the star has played the lead in the previous five Pirates films over the course of 14 years.

Plans were in motion to move on to a sixth instalment without Depp, but the Hollywood Reporter now says a reboot of the series is in the works instead.

Disney's production chief Sean Bailey told THR: 'We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett [Deadpool writers] are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants - and that's what I've tasked them with."

Speaking on Depp's axing, original Pirates script writer Stuart Beattie said: "I think he's had a great run. Obviously, he's made that character his own and it's become the character he's most famous for now.

"And kids all over the world love him as that character so I think it's been great for him, it's been great for us, so I'm just very, very happy about it.

"I think Jack Sparrow will be his legacy. It's the only character he's played five times, it's the character he dresses up in to visit children in hospitals, it's what he'll be remembered for."

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie took 10 years to be made, after Beattie first came up with the idea in 1993.

It has since gone on to become the 12th biggest franchise in movie history.