Margot Robbie to star in Pirates of the Caribbean movie

Margot Robbie has signed on to star in a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it has been revealed.

This film is said to be a spin-off of the hugely successful franchise, which is already getting its own separate reboot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

The Australian actress is reuniting with her Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson for the female-fronted movie, that is thought to have Robbie, 29, front and center, instead of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow.

The news follows the expected departure of Depp from the hugely lucrative film franchise. 

Disney’s Sean Bailey previously announced that a separate reboot was in the works, and would be written by Deadpool’s Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese – and was asked whether the series could survive without Depp.

Bailey told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul and Rhett are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that’s what I’ve tasked them with.’

Meanwhile, the film’s original screenwriter Stuart Beattie previously called Depp’s time on the franchise ‘a great run’.

Pirates of the Caribbean has been one of the most financially successful franchises of all-time in cinema, grossing over $4.5 billion over five separate movies. 

However, THR notes that the studio has been plotting for a big re-brand for sometime now, as the last of the Depp-fronted movies was a box-office disappointment.

2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales became the second lowest box office of the series, taking in $795 million worldwide.