Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

Pirates of the Caribbean

2007 DVD box set
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Written by Ted Elliott
Terry Rossio
Starring Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
Keira Knightley
Geoffrey Rush
Jack Davenport
Jonathan Pryce
Kevin McNally
Mackenzie Crook
Lee Arenberg
Bill Nighy
Tom Hollander
Naomie Harris
Stellan Skarsgård
Chow Yun-Fat
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s) 2003 – 2007
Running time 461 minutes
Country Flag of the United States
Language English
Gross revenue $2.7 billion

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 the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, portrayed by Johnny Depp. 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. Altogether, the film franchise has grossed over $2.79 billion worldwide. In September 2008, Johnny Depp signed for a new movie in the franchise, expected to be released in 2012.

Contents

Development

During the early 1990s,[1] screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio conceived of writing a film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. In their original pitch, Will Turner was the lead role, and the villainous pirates were searching for treasure. Steven Spielberg expressed interest, and wanted to cast Bill Murray, Robin Williams or Steve Martin as Jack Sparrow. Disney was already making Muppet Treasure Island at the time and did not give permission for the film to be made because the two had similar storylines.[2]

Disney had Jay Wolpert write a script based on the ride, which producer Jerry Bruckheimer rejected, feeling it was, "a straight pirate movie."[3] Stuart Beattie was brought in to rewrite the script in March 2002, due to his knowledge of piracy,[4] and later that month Elliott and Rossio were brought in.[3] 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.[5] As the budget rose, Michael Eisner and Bob Iger threatened to cancel the film, though Bruckheimer changed their minds when he showed them concept art and animatics.[6]

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.[4].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.[7] Orlando Bloom read the script after Rush, whom he was working with on Ned Kelly, suggested it to him.[8] Keira Knightley came as a surprise to Verbinski: he had not seen her performance in Bend It Like Beckham and was impressed by her audition.[7] Tom Wilkinson was negotiated with to play Governor Swann,[4] but the role went to Jonathan Pryce, whom Depp idolized.[7]

Shooting for The Curse of the Black Pearl began on October 9, 2002 and wrapped by March 2003.[4] Before its release, many had expected the film to be a flop, as the pirate genre had not been successful for years, that the film was based on a theme park ride, and that Johnny Depp rarely made a big film.[9] However The Curse of the Black Pearl became both a critical and commercial success.

Seeing the film's performance, the cast and crew signed on for two more sequels to be shot back-to-back,[10] a practical decision on Disney's part to allow more time with the same cast and crew.[11] Writer Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio knew that with an ensemble cast, they weren't free to invent totally different situations and characters, as with the Indiana Jones and James Bond series, and so had to retroactively turn The Curse of the Black Pearl into the first of a trilogy.[12] They wanted to explore the reality of what would happen after Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's embrace at the end of the first film, and initially considered the Fountain of Youth as the plot device.[13] They settled on introducing Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken, a mythology only mentioned twice in the first film. They also introduced the historical East India Trading Company, who for them represented a counterpoint to the themes of personal freedom represented by pirates.[14]

Filming for the sequels began on February 28, 2005,[15] with Dead Man's Chest finishing on March 1, 2006,[16], and At World's End on January 10, 2007.[17]

Films

The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Elizabeth Swann, daughter of the Governor of Jamaica, is kidnapped by the crew of the Black Pearl, led by Captain Hector Barbossa, in order to release a curse placed on them after stealing Aztec gold. Blacksmith Will Turner, a friend of Elizabeth who is also in love with her, persuades pirate captain Jack Sparrow to help him in the rescue.

Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Lord Cutler Beckett, a powerful and ruthless East India Trading Company agent, arrests Will and Elizabeth for aiding Jack Sparrow's escape. Beckett however offers clemency if Will agrees to search for Sparrow and his magical compass. At the same time, Sparrow tries to release himself from an old debt with villainous Davy Jones.

At World's End (2007)

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Cutler Beckett gains power over Davy Jones, and with the help of Jones' ship, The Flying Dutchman, is now executing his plans to extinguish piracy. To combat the East India Trading Company, the crew of the Black Pearl goes rescuing Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker, because he is one of the nine pirate lords needed to summon an ancient goddess.

Future

As detailed in The Art of the Pirates of the Caribbean, the proposed story for the fourth film was for Sparrow and Barbossa to meet up in the newly founded New Orleans, before they sail to find the Fountain of Youth together.[18] Johnny Depp signed on to return in September 2008,[19] and Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio began writing under the guidance of producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The film is set for release in 2012.[20]

Geoffrey Rush has expressed interest in returning as Barbossa.[21] Gore Verbinski feels that "the big danger is diminishing the brand [...] it would have to be a tale worthy of telling" for him to return.[22] If the director returned, he noted that "I would start fresh and focus on the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow."[23] Unlike the previous films, he will not do it without a complete script.[24] Keira Knightley has stated that she does not wish to continue playing her character of Elizabeth Swann as she wants to do different projects.[25]

Principal cast

Character Film
The Curse of the Black Pearl Dead Man's Chest At World's End
Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp
Will Turner Orlando Bloom
Elizabeth Swann Keira Knightley
Hector Barbossa Geoffrey Rush
James Norrington Jack Davenport
Weatherby Swann Jonathan Pryce
Joshamee Gibbs Kevin McNally
Ragetti Mackenzie Crook
Pintel Lee Arenberg
Davy Jones   Bill Nighy
Cutler Beckett   Tom Hollander
Tia Dalma   Naomie Harris
William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner   Stellan Skarsgård
Sao Feng   Chow Yun-Fat

Reception

Box office

Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Reference
United States Foreign Worldwide All time domestic All time worldwide
The Curse of the Black Pearl July 9, 2003 $305,413,918 $348,850,097 $654,264,015 #29 #33 [26]
Dead Man's Chest July 7, 2006 $423,315,812 $642,863,913 $1,066,179,725 #7 #3 [27]
At World's End May 24, 2007 $309,420,425 $651,576,067 $960,713,181 #26 #6 [28]
Total $1,038,150,155 $1,643,290,077 $2,681,440,232

Curse of the Black Pearl was 2003's third highest gross in North America (behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Finding Nemo) and fourth worldwide (behind Return of the King, Nemo and The Matrix Reloaded).[29] Dead Man's Chest was the highest of 2006 both domestically and worldwide,[30] and became the third highest-grossing film of all time, behind Titanic and Return of the King. At World's End was 2007's highest gross worldwide, and fourth domestically (behind Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Transformers).[31]

Both the second and third films set box office records. Dead Man's Chest broke the records for largest opening day gross with $55.8 million, and biggest opening weekend gross with $135.6 million,[32] and would set 15 other box office records, including the fastest film to reach $200 and $300 million, the highest ten-day gross, and the fastest film to reach $1 billion worldwide. However, in 2008 most of the records it held were broken by The Dark Knight.[33] At World's End broke the Memorial Day gross record.[34]

References

  1. ↑ Gerard Raiti (2003-07-11). "ILM and Disney Make Pirate Perfection", VFXWorld. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. 
  2. ↑ Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, B105 FM on July 10, 2006
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Stax (2003-06-25). "Depp & Bruckheimer Talk Pirates", IGN. Retrieved on 2007-05-13. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Greg Dean Schmitz. "Greg's Previews - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)". Yahoo!. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
  5. ↑ Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert. (2003). Audio Commentary (DVD). Buena Vista.
  6. ↑ "Exclusive Interview: Jerry Bruckheimer", Moviehole (2007-05-21). Retrieved on 2007-05-21. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp. (2003). Audio Commentary (DVD). Buena Vista.
  8. ↑ Caroline Westbrook (2003-08-08). "Pirates films tests its stars", BBC. Retrieved on 2007-05-13. 
  9. ↑ Chris Nashawaty. "Box Office Buccaneer", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  10. ↑ Brian Linder (2003-10-21). "Back-to-Back Pirates", IGN. Retrieved on 2007-05-12. 
  11. ↑ (2006). According to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man's Chest (DVD). Buena Vista.
  12. ↑ Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio. (2006). Audio Commentary (DVD). Buena Vista.
  13. ↑ (2006). Charting the Return (DVD). Buena Vista.
  14. ↑ "Everything Relates Back to What Started Everything Off in the First". Production Notes. Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
  15. ↑ "Los Angeles: The Voyage Begins". Production Notes. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
  16. ↑ "Chapter 7 - Return to The Bahamas". Production Notes. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
  17. ↑ "Aloha Oe: Hawaii Farewell", Production Notes. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. 
  18. ↑ Jim Hill (2007-05-30). ""The Art of the Pirates of the Caribbean" pays tribute to this film trilogy's talented production design team", Jim Hill Media. Retrieved on 2008-10-12. 
  19. ↑ Marc Graser (2008-09-24). "Disney, Depp return to 'Caribbean'", Variety. Retrieved on 2008-09-25. 
  20. ↑ Edward Douglas (2008-11-04). "Bruckheimer on Pirates 4, Lone Ranger and National Treasure 3", ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on 2008-11-04. 
  21. ↑ Shawn Adler (2007-09-18). "Will ‘Pirates 4’ Find The Fountain Of Youth?", MTV. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  22. ↑ Ian Nathan (June 2007). "Pirates 3", Empire, pp. 88-92. 
  23. ↑ Steve Fritz (2007-11-30). "Talking Pirates with Gore Verbinski", Newsarama. Retrieved on 2007-12-02. 
  24. ↑ Shawn Adler (2008-02-08). "‘Pirates’ Director Admits ‘At World’s End’ Problems, Won’t Set Sail Again Without Script", MTV. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  25. ↑ Baz Bamigboye (2008-11-10). "Swann song from pirate maid Keira"", Daily Mail. Retrieved on 2008-09-25. 
  26. ↑ "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-10-17.
  27. ↑ "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-10-17.
  28. ↑ "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-10-17.
  29. ↑ "2003 WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
  30. ↑ "2006 WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
  31. ↑ "2007 WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
  32. ↑ "'Pirates' raid record books". Box Office Mojo (2006-07-10). Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
  33. ↑ "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
  34. ↑ "`Pirates' Opens With $156,055 Million", Yahoo! (2007-05-27). Retrieved on 2007-05-27. 

External links

Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
Theme Park Attractions
Pirates of the Caribbean • Pirate's Lair at Tom Sawyer Island
Films
Primary characters
Jack Sparrow • Will Turner • Elizabeth Swann • James Norrington • Hector Barbossa • Cutler Beckett • Tia Dalma • Davy Jones • Sao Feng
Secondary characters
Joshamee Gibbs • Weatherby Swann • Pintel and Ragetti • Bootstrap Bill Turner • the Kraken • Captain Teague • Minor characters • Prequel characters
Universe
Black Pearl • Flying Dutchman • Minor ships • Ships in prequel series • East India Trading Co. • Royal Navy • Brethren Court • Locations • Objects
Music
"Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" • "Dead Man's Chest" • "Hoist the Colours" • Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack • The Curse of the Black Pearl soundtrack • Pirates Remixed • Dead Man's Chest soundtrack • At World's End soundtrack • At World's End Remixes • Pirates of the Caribbean: Soundtrack Treasures Collection
Video games
Pirates of the Caribbean • The Curse of the Black Pearl • The Legend of Jack Sparrow • Dead Man's Chest • Pirates of the Caribbean Online • Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer Mobile • At World's End
Other merchandise
Jack Sparrow (Prequel novels) • Trading Card Game • Pinball machine
Related articles
Pirate code of the Brethren • Piracy in the Caribbean • Jolly Roger