A new TV spot for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales puts a lot of emphasis on the “Dead” part. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise remains a moneymaker for Disney, but has steadily declined in quality since 2003’s first installment, Curse of the Black Pearl. The franchise’s domestic box office totals have also declined for the past three movies, with 2011’s On Stranger Tides grossing just $241 million in the U.S.

The long-awaited fifth installment of the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, aims to turn the tide. Johnny Depp, of course, is back in the fold as the iconic Jack Sparrow, as is Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa. Orlando Bloom is also returning to reprise his role of Will Turner. But the biggest addition to the cast is Javier Bardem as Captain Armando Salazar, an undead pirate who desires revenge against Sparrow, his former enemy.

Bardem’s presence as a pirate risen from the dead is where the sequel finds its increased focus on themes of death, and that’s the focus of a new TV spot for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which you can watch in the above video. Disney’s official Pirates of the Caribbean Twitter account posted the video on Tuesday, compiling clips of all the key characters, including Bardem as Capt. Salazar.

Keeping with the themes of Salazar’s undead army, the spot features the phrase “The Dead Are Coming.” A mud-soaked Sparrow delivers his line “Pirate’s life,” which is also the movie’s hashtag of choice, at the end of the clip. The spot puts a heavy focus on the coming showdown between Sparrow and Salazar, who will summon his army (including a ghost shark) as they are “searching for a sparrow” as part of the movie’s narrative.

The battle between Sparrow and Salazar will center around the Trident of Poseidon, which will grant supreme power over the seas to whomever possesses it. Depp can already be trusted to deliver a magnetic performance as what’s become his most famous character, while Bardem has shown with characters like Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men that he has a good chance to be a memorable villain as well.

Dead Men Tell No Tales’ premise and promotion seem to mirror the coming battles between the dead and the living in Game of Thrones’ upcoming seventh season. “The Dead Are Coming” isn’t the most original tagline. But the success of the movie, which is getting good early reactions, will ultimately come down to the performances, regardless of originality. In Bardem, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales may have found the perfect actor to play an evil pirate hunter.

Source: Disney

  • Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Release Date: 2017-05-26