Geoffrey Rush over mogelijke terugkeer als Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean 6

Rush compared a possible return to the ghost of Hamlet’s father in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In his view, that kind of appearance has to be written well, or it won’t work.

IGN’s article describes Pirates of the Caribbean 6 as a film in development, but there is no official cast list yet. It’s also unclear whether Johnny Depp will return as Jack Sparrow.

What happened

In an interview, Geoffrey Rush said he’d be open to returning as Hector Barbossa in a new Pirates of the Caribbean film. According to him, the story would need to be strong enough to explain why Barbossa is back, especially since the character died in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2016.

Rush said such a return should not feel “cheap” or “cheesy.” He used a comparison to Hamlet, where the protagonist’s father appears as a ghost, suggesting Barbossa could return in a similar way if the writers handle it properly.

The actor also joked that Barbossa would mainly come back just to annoy Jack Sparrow one more time. IGN also notes that Rush is one of three actors to appear in all five Pirates of the Caribbean films, alongside Johnny Depp and Kevin McNally.

Background

Hector Barbossa is one of the best-known characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean series and, according to the article, appeared in all five films. Because Barbossa dies in 2016, a return in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 would need to be a deliberate writing choice rather than a continuation of an existing storyline.

IGN says Disney is working on Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and that classic characters could return, but there is no official cast confirmation. Johnny Depp’s status remains unclear, although the article says Jerry Bruckheimer spoke with Depp in August about a possible return as Jack Sparrow.