New Pirates Of The Caribbean Reboot’s OG Villain Return Condition Revealed By Star

Published Sep 15, 2026, 10:21 AM EDT

Matthew Thomas is a celebrity entertainment and trending news journalist. Passionate about the media. He developed a love for storytelling that he loves to share with others through his writing. Matthew has been able to cover a variety of subjects he is very passionate about, including movies, TV shows, comics, and wrestling.

Experience:

Matthew brings more than a decade of experience writing about pop culture, movies, TV shows, wrestling, comic books, true crime, weather conditions, safety tips, taxes, wildlife, archaeology, music, and trending news. He is also an experienced interviewer with a strong track record of speaking with high-profile talent and subject-matter experts.

He has conducted high-profile interviews with major actors, including Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Jason Sudeikis, Jon Hamm, Alan Ritchson, Rob McElhenney, Danny Trejo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Joshua Jackson, Damon Wayans, and John C. McGinley. He has also interviewed several prominent TV personalities, including Howie Mandel, Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster, Happy’s Place star Rex Linn, the cast of Stuart Saves the Universe, and acclaimed series creators Bill Lawrence and Chuck Lorre. As a versatile entertainment journalist, he has also interviewed notable musicians such as Travis Barker and Nick Jonas.

Additionally, Matthew has interviewed reality show contestants from hit series like Survivor, Big Brother, and The Traitors. To round out his extensive portfolio, he has interviewed subject-matter experts on taxes, public safety, and winter weather conditions.

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

Pirates of the Caribbean's original villain has revealed his one condition for returning to the franchise.

After news that it was in development at Disney began spreading, fans have wanted to know everything about the potential Pirates of the Caribbean 6 movie. Of course, much of the discussion around the film has been focused on which actors from the franchise could return. Now, there has been a fascinating update about what it will take to bring one of the series' stars back.

While attending TIFF for his upcoming film Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?, Geoffrey Rush spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his possible Pirates of the Caribbean future. When he was addressing whether he would portray Captain Hector Barbossa on the big screen again, the actor explained that the storyline explaining his comeback would have to be right. Check out Rush's comments below:

"I think there’s been a big enough break. I sacrificed myself for my daughter. I don’t want it to be too cheesy and too easy that I come back and go, ‘Give me another payday.’ I respect the scale of the opera that’s almost been created in that 20-year period."

During 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Barbossa sacrificed himself to save the life of his daughter Carina. Upon realizing she was in peril, he let himself fall so he could stab Captain Armando Salazar in the back, knowing it would lead to his doom.

Since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was released, there has been a debate among fans about the decision to have Barbossa sacrifice himself. Some moviegoers have passionately argued that it was too out of character for the villainous figure the franchise had depicted up until that point.

Debates about that moment aside, the sacrifice did serve as the emotional climax of that movie and was a major moment for the character. As such, it makes perfect sense that Rush wouldn't want to cheapen the scene by returning to his role unless a storyline was in place that wouldn't undermine the punch of what his character had done.

Rush was the franchise's original villain as he debuted as the often-captivating character in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Ultimately, he has appeared as Barbossa in every Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and the character has undergone an interesting evolution over that span. As one of the mainstays of the series, many fans would likely be disappointed if he didn't appear in the potential sequel.

Still, if Rush doesn't join the cast of the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, that won't be the first time the franchise has continued without one of its original stars. After both played pivotal roles in the series' first three films, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were both absent from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. While many fans missed their characters during that movie, it was still a massive success that grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.