'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' Production Delay Sounds A Lot Like 'The Lone Ranger' Disaster

We've been hearing about "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" for some time.

Last month, news broke the fifth film in the long-running Johnny Depp franchise would be titled "Dead Men Tell No Tales."

Earlier this week, Disney announced it would delay the upcoming sequel from July 10, 2015 to summer 2016.

This news came shortly after Disney and Marvel announced its upcoming "Ant-Man" feature was moving up from November 2015 to July 31, 2015.

Afterward, Walt Disney Studios sent out an update saying the film won't necessarily be coming out in 2016 saying the release is "unset." In other words, Disney doesn't know when they'll be releasing the sequel.

What's going on?

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter the film was pushed back because the script isn't finished.

Apparently, the film currently exists only as a "well-received outline" and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson is currently working on a second script.

THR reports that a studio source claimed the original script "was too expensive" and "complicated and hard to follow."

Originally production on the film was set to start in March of next year.

THR says that the delay will most likely cause the budget of the fifth film to top $200 million.

2007's third installment "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is by far the most expensive film ever made at a costly $300 million.

There's nothing odd with release dates for films getting moved around. This happens all the time, especially with ones set to debut so far in the future.

However, given a recent release, the story sounds eerily familiar.

Earlier this year, Bruckheimer and Depp's long-awaited "Lone Ranger" Western flopped at theaters after multiple delays, a poor marketing campaign, and rising costs to the film put the estimated budget of the film north of $215 million.

After debuting to a weak $29 million three-day opening weekend (less than 2012's "John Carter" bomb), Disney announced during its Q3 earnings call it predicts a $160-$190 million write down on the film.

Could "Pirates 5" be in danger of going the same route as "The Lone Ranger"?

Not necessarily.

For one, Pirates is a very well-established brand for the Mouse House.

All together, the four films in the series have earned more than a combined $3.7 billion worldwide.

Despite the "Lone Ranger" hiccup, 50-year-old Depp commands not only the successful "Pirates" franchise but also the "Alice in Wonderland" series which brought in more than $1 billion at the box office.

A sequel is currently in the works for the film.

Overall, Disney has a very solid schedule in place for the next few years between its future "Star Wars" films, Marvel projects ranging from "The Avengers 2" to individual superhero stories, and it's successful Pixar movies.