Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of
adventure films directed by
Gore Verbinski, written by
Ted Elliott and
Terry Rossio and produced by
Jerry Bruckheimer. They are based on a
Walt Disney theme park ride
of the same name, and follow Captain
Jack Sparrow (portrayed by
Johnny Depp),
Will Turner (portrayed by
Orlando Bloom), and
Elizabeth Swann (portrayed by
Keira Knightley). The trilogy was first released on the
big screen on July 9, 2003 with
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. After the unexpected success of the first film,
Walt Disney Pictures revealed that a trilogy was in the works.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was released three years later on July 7, 2006. The sequel proved to be very successful, breaking records worldwide the day of its premiere. In the end it acquired a total of $1,066,179,725 at the worldwide
box office, becoming the third and fastest film to reach this amount. The last film in the trilogy,
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released worldwide on May 24, 2007. All together, the film franchise has grossed over $2.79 billion worldwide. In September 2008, Depp signed on for a fourth film in the franchise,
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, expected to be released in Summer 2011. Keira Knightley has stated that she does not want to continue playing her character, as has Orlando Bloom.
Development
During the early 1990s,
screenwriters
Ted Elliott and
Terry Rossio conceived of writing a film based on the
Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Disney had
Jay Wolpert write a script based on the ride, which producer
Jerry Bruckheimer rejected, feeling it was, "a straight pirate movie."
was brought in to rewrite the script in March 2002, due to his knowledge of
piracy,
and later that month Elliott and Rossio were brought in.
Elliott and Rossio were inspired by the opening narration of the
Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride, and decided to give the film a supernatural edge.
As the budget rose,
Michael Eisner and
Robert Iger threatened to cancel the film, though Bruckheimer changed their minds when he showed them concept art and animatics.
In May 2002
Gore Verbinski signed on to direct
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and
Johnny Depp and
Geoffrey Rush signed on the following month to star.
Verbinski was attracted to the idea of using modern technology to resurrect a genre that had disappeared after the
Golden Age of Hollywood, and recalled his childhood memories of the ride, feeling the film was an opportunity to pay tribute to the "scary and funny" tone of it. Depp was attracted to the story as he found it quirky: rather than trying to find treasure, the crew of the
Black Pearl were trying to return it in order to lift their curse; also, the traditional mutiny had already taken place. Verbinski approached Rush for the role of Barbossa, as he knew he would not play it with attempts at complexity, but with a simple villainy that would suit the story's tone.
read the script after Rush, whom he was working with on
Ned Kelly, suggested it to him.
came as a surprise to Verbinski: he had not seen her performance in
Bend It Like Beckham and was impressed by her audition.
was negotiated with to play Governor Swann,
but the role went to
Jonathan Pryce, whom Depp idolized.
