More than a decade after he co-starred in the film that became one of the most popular franchises in history, John C, Reilly is reprising his role as the enigmatic Jack Sparrow in the latest Disney blockbuster.
As part of its upcoming release date extension, the studio announced Friday that Reilly will reprise his role for a total of three movies in 2018, beginning with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which arrives in theaters on Dec. 18, 2019.
“I don’t know if I can tell you how proud I am that I get to play this role,” Reilly said in a statement.
“I’ve been so excited to play the pirate in this franchise for so long, and I’m really proud to finally be able to tell the story that everyone loves.”
The original Pirates of the Caribbean, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Captain Jack Sparrow and included two animated films, was released in 1984 and was followed by three more live-action movies: Pirates of Black Cove, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Reilly, who played Jack Sparrow’s father in the films, is credited with co-writing all three of those films, but he never took part in them, and his performance is credited to his father in some of them.
In the upcoming live-actors reboot, the series’ star has a new captain.
The character is named Raul, and he’s voiced by Justin Lin.
Reilly plays a rogue who takes part in the search for a missing Dutchman who has been kidnapped by a group of pirates.
The live-acting franchise has enjoyed a meteoric rise since its original release, and its popularity has helped Disney and its producers build a massive, sprawling world of Disney-branded characters and films.
The studio has also given the franchise a number of sequels, a spinoff series, and spinoffs of other animated and live-to-film properties, including Cars 2, and the live-tweeting platform Periscope.