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Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Pryce take to the high seas to fly the jolly roger and buckle their swash.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Shiver me timbers and splice the mainbrace you rapscallion curs! It?s a life on the ocean waves for Johnny Depp and his crew of dastardly knaves in this swashbuckling epic from director Gore Verbinski.

For the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), the crystalline waters of the Caribbean, like the high seas the world over, present a vast playground where adventure and mystery abound.

But Jack?s idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the Governor?s (Jonathan Pryce) beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).

Elizabeth?s childhood friend, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom, who's in new film Ned Kelly - and is now world-famous as Legolas the elf from Lord Of The Rings) joins forces with Jack to commandeer the fastest ship in the British fleet, the H.M.S. Interceptor, in a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl. The duo and their ragtag crew are pursued by Elizabeth?s betrothed, the debonair, ambitious Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport), aboard the H.M.S. Dauntless.

Unbeknownst to Will, a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead, the moonlight eerily transforming them into living skeletons. The curse they carry can be broken only if the plundered treasure is restored in total and a blood debt repaid.

Against all odds, the Interceptor and Dauntless race toward a thrilling confrontation with Barbossa?s pirates on the mysterious 'Isla de Muerta'. At stake is Jack Sparrow?s revenge, the Black Pearl, a fortune in forbidden treasure, the lifting of the pirates? curse that has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as skeletons, the fate of the British navy, and the lives of our valiant heroes as they clash their swords in fierce combat against the dreaded Pirates of the Caribbean.

From producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes the new live-action adventure, directed by Gore Verbinski, from a screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.

The thrilling tale of a daring rescue mission aimed at reversing an ancient curse, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is an irreverent wink at the famous Disney theme park attraction. When the idea was first presented to the production executives at Disney Studios, they could think of only one producer able to handle the scope and intricacies of such an undertaking.

Michael Eisner, Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Dick Cook, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Nina Jacobson, President of the Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, initially approached Jerry Bruckheimer to orchestrate this extravaganza, and Jerry was only too anxious to get underway. He has always wanted to make a motion picture about pirates.

Errol Flynn

"I loved watching pirate pictures as a kid," says Bruckheimer. "Treasure Island, Captain Blood and The Black Pirate were some of my favourites. Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks were formidable, and although their movies are still exciting and very watchable today, I thought we could add some extra pizzazz to a popular theme. I think we take the swashbuckler genre to a new level," he adds. "This has all the thrills and romance that you would expect from a big adventure."

Bruckheimer?who knows better than anyone what it takes to bring ?big adventure? to the big screen?began assembling his team. "We brought in Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, two wonderful writers who created a hit with Shrek," he continues. "They brought in the element of the supernatural, which gave the story an edge that interested me. Anything I?m interested in seeing, I?m interested in making."

A trademark of Jerry Bruckheimer Films productions, writers are involved in every step of the production process. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were on set at all times during production. "The experience Terry and I had is what every single writer dreams of," Ted Elliott says. "For a writer, being on set every day is unheard of. From beginning to end, it was terrific. To be able to talk to the director, the producer, the actors and even someone like the makeup artist, to ask questions and find out why things are done a certain way, was such a wonderful education. It was gratifying to realize the imagination and creativity each crew member put into the movie. From set design to costumes and makeup, seeing the production unfold on set was better than anything we made up and put on paper."

His partner agrees. "Jerry gave Gore such freedom, and Gore was confident enough with his ideas that he had no problem being collaborative," says Terry Rossio. "We just knew the approach we wanted to take; we knew we wanted these characters and these specific moments in the story. We wanted it to be a very classic, Jane Austen-style, bodice-ripping romance.

"Ted and I actually worked very closely with Jerry, Mike Stenson and Chad Oman; they were instrumental in developing the story," recalls Rossio. "Writers don?t often have that kind of consistent, involved access to producers, and producers are not necessarily as knowledgeable as these guys are about structure and dialogue."

"This project was charmed from the beginning," says Mike Stenson. "Ted and Terry are the absolute masters of this type of storytelling, and it turned out they had always wanted to do the feature version of Pirates. They even sang the theme song the first time we met."

Aladdin

Elliott and Rossio will tell you that timing is everything. They pitched an idea for a pirate movie almost ten years earlier after completing work on Aladdin, but there was no interest from any studio. Undeterred, the writing team refused to give up the dream, keeping their concept on a back burner, convinced that the combination of romance, adventure and mystery would one day become popular again.

Actor Johnny Depp was unhesitatingly confident that the writing duo could handle the job and make a childhood dream come true. "Isn?t it every boy?s dream to be a pirate and get away with basically anything?" Depp asks rhetorically. "Who wouldn?t want to play a pirate?"

Captain Jack Sparrow

It wasn?t purely boyish exuberance that factored into Depp?s decision to accept the role of Captain Jack Sparrow; he was wholeheartedly confident in the quality of the project when he learned of Elliott and Rossio?s participation. "The second I heard that Ted and Terry were writing the script, I knew we were in good shape," Depp says. "With Jerry?s background and Gore?s intense focus, I knew the film had strong shoulders to stand on. When I read Ted and Terry?s screenplay, I was pleasantly surprised; they?d exceeded my expectations. They brought a great amount of humor to the story and created building blocks for the actors to elaborate, to really stretch the character."

With a script in place, Bruckheimer was now on the hunt for a director. "My agent called and said, ?how do you feel about a pirate movie?? I mean, how often are you going to get that call?" recalls Gore Verbinski, who most recently directed The Ring. Bruckheimer had attempted to hire Verbinski several years earlier, but schedules would not allow. "I had met him early on in his career and thought he was very talented after seeing his commercial reel," says the producer. "But somebody got to him before I could and he went off to make Mouse Hunt."

"We talked quite a bit over the last few years about trying to find a project to work on together," adds Verbinski. "I am thoroughly entertained by his films. I am there with the popcorn, getting my money's worth every time I go to a Jerry Bruckheimer picture.

"We were lucky to sign Gore right before The Ring came out," comments Bruckheimer. "This film is perfect for him because we encouraged him to use his wonderful sense of humor and his great storytelling skills. And because it has elements of the supernatural, Gore got to use lots of visual effects. His enthusiasm is like a little kids. He loves to work with actors, and actors love him. We were fortunate because he really was the perfect director for this project."

Mike Stenson echoes Bruckheimer?s praise. "Gore?s combination of visual style, technical expertise and humor made him our first and only choice as a director. He said yes the first meeting as well."

A fan of Captain Blood, The Crimson Pirate, The Black Pirate and other pirate movies in his younger days, Verbinski was sold on the concept. "There?s something rebellious and revolutionary about piracy," he says. "Pirates came out of a time when things were oppressive and people were hung for simply stealing a piece of bread, so what have you got to lose. For me, the film?s about breaking the rules, and when it?s appropriate to break the rules to get what you want. All the characters ultimately try to obtain their desires through piracy, through the good and the bad aspects of that."

Elliott and Rossio presented Verbinski their outline, and the director liked what he heard. It was the element of the curse in the story that, in Verbinski?s words, "was really an opportunity to turn the movie on its head and open it up as a genre. "When I first heard the pitch from Ted and Terry, what I liked about it was that it was a terrific perversion of the classic tale," says Verbinski. "I came in asking, ?what is the standard plot structure? Is it a kidnapping? Is it buried treasure?? When actually, it has all of these qualities, yet the principle one is reversed. It is a film about finding the last piece of treasure and putting it back. Barbossa and his pirates need to return the last piece of cursed treasure so they can feel the pleasures of the flesh-and-blood world. The curse has allowed Barbossa and his pirates to keep the currency and to continue their villainy, but they?re not able to enjoy it."

Verbinski began prepping and storyboarding the movie from Elliott and Rossio?s outline. "It?s no way to prep a movie, especially one that?s shot on water," the director laughs. "We just kind of hit the ground running. It was chaos."

Casting was the next step for the production. "We always try to populate our movies with great talent," says Jerry Bruckheimer. "And in this one we were lucky enough to combine respected, well-known veterans with several up-and-coming actors. Excellence begets excellence, and with every additional actor we signed, the bar just moved higher and higher."

"We have a dream cast," says Verbinski. "It?s not often that a director has an opportunity like this. To work with a cast of this caliber on a pirate movie is a chance of a lifetime."

"The way you get an audience to really embrace a movie is to cast against the grain," explains Bruckheimer. "You find someone the audience would never expect to see in a Disney movie. "I went after Johnny Depp," he says with a knowing grin. "Johnny is an artist who?s known to take on quirkier projects. He?s a brilliant actor. He?s not out to create a fan base for himself, or to simply select work based on salary; it?s clear he needs to find a role that gives back to him artistically. I think he also wanted to do something specifically for his kids."

Ironically, Depp?s character isn?t exactly the kind of guy you?d want your kids to emulate. "Jack Sparrow?s the type of character that you enjoy watching steal money from a little old lady," says Verbinski. "He is basically a con man?he?s lazy, he?s a great pirate, but he is not going to fight if he doesn't have to. He?s always going to take a shortcut. I think the big thing for Captain Jack Sparrow is his myth. He?s kind of his own best agent?he markets himself very well."

Rogue

"Jack Sparrow?s a rogue, but he doesn?t have a dark heart," adds Orlando Bloom, who plays the role of Will Turner. "He?s a man trying to live with integrity." Depp was attracted by the opportunity to create a totally new character from scratch. "It was a different kind of role for me. It was a great opportunity to invent this pirate from the ground up, to create a different kind of pirate than you have seen before."

The filmmakers gave the actor free reign to be creative with the character. "Johnny?s known for creating his own characters," says Bruckheimer. "He had a definite vision for Jack Sparrow which is completely unique. We just let him go and he came up with this off-center, yet very shrewd pirate. He can?t quite hold his balance, his speech is a bit slurred, so you assume he?s either drunk, seasick or he?s been on a ship too long. But it?s all an act perpetrated for effect. And strange as it seems, it?s also part of Captain Jack?s charm."

Depp also appreciated the mischievous nature and never-say-die attitude of his character. "In Jack, I saw a guy who was able to run between the raindrops. He can walk across the DMZ, entertain a troop and then sashay back to the other side and tell the enemy another story. He tries to stay on everyone?s good side because he?s wise enough to know he might need them in the future.

"No matter how bad things got, there was always this sort of bizarre optimism about him," continues the actor. "I also thought there was something beautiful and poignant about the idea of his objective. All he wants is to get his ship back, which represents nothing more than pure freedom to him. Of course he?ll thieve and do whatever it takes, especially when the opportunity arises, but his main focus is just to get the Black Pearl back at whatever cost."

"Jack?s one mission is to get back his ship," echoes Verbinski. "Again, it?s about the simplicity of the character: his great love and his great freedom are his ship. He?s not the villain and he?s not the love interest, although he does think he?s got a chance with Elizabeth. Jack Sparrow is a bit of an oddball. Johnny?s character is not unlike Lee Marvin?s in Cat Ballou. He really just floats through the story affecting all around him while pursuing his goal."

Depp, who developed his ideas for the character of Jack while reading the script in his sauna, had strong ideas about Jack?s attitude and appearance. His inspirations for the character were diverse: Depp says he modeled a large part of the character after legendary Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, added a bit of the cartoon character Pepe Le Pew and tossed in some modern day Rastafarian. "Pirates were the rock stars of their day," says the actor.

Trinkets

"Jack?s got little trinkets hanging in his hair, so that was one of the inspirations. I like the idea that each one of these little pieces is a very vivid and extremely important memory for Jack," says Depp. Still in his thirties, Depp also found himself in the unusual role of elder statesman to his younger co-stars, who grew up watching the actor in such films as Cry-Baby, Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and What?s Eating Gilbert Grape.

"I can?t say enough good things about Johnny," says Keira Knightley, who plays Elizabeth. "It was a dream, it was a pleasure. I mean, he was wicked. Really cool."

"Johnny is a wonderful human being," says Orlando Bloom. "I would go to him for advice on all sorts of things. I felt really privileged to work so closely with somebody who I?ve admired from afar throughout his career." Geoffrey Rush stars opposite Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow?s nemesis, the dastardly Captain Barbossa.

Although Depp and Rush had only a handful of scenes with one another during the six-month shoot, it is immediately clear from their interaction that there is a long and sordid history between Jack Sparrow and Barbossa?and a mutual admiration between the actors. "Geoffrey?s a very interesting actor, a renegade," says Depp. "I love his work. He never sticks his neck out in quite the same way. He likes to throw ideas out there and try new things, and so do I. This was just as important as any other truly serious, heavy film for Geoffrey; he didn?t hold anything back. He?s deeply committed, which is one of the reasons I was excited to work with him."

"Jack is probably the pirate that everyone wants to be; he is freewheeling, he is absolutely his own man, he?s hilarious?he?s like Johnny," comments Rush. "It was extraordinary to watch Johnny create this character. It was such a cool performance, very masterfully done. He is a brilliant actor."

Caribbean

Bruckheimer cast Orlando Bloom in the role of handsome blacksmith Will Turner after meeting him on his film Black Hawk Down. As Pirates of the Caribbean opens, 10-year-old Will is pulled from the Caribbean Sea drifting amidst the murdered crew and burning wreckage of a British ship attacked by pirates. That day, aboard the H.M.S. Dauntless, Elizabeth takes from the unconscious Will a souvenir?a medallion bearing the skull of a pirate?s Jolly Roger?hoping to save his life. This event sets the whole story in motion.

21st Century Girl

Between the two of them, the character?s of Jack and Will change Elizabeth Swann?s notions of romance and adventure forever. The daughter of Port Royal?s governor, Elizabeth can date her aristocratic lineage back hundreds of years. She is more than a station or two above a simple blacksmith?s apprentice. But contrary to her patrician and fairly sheltered upbringing, Elizabeth is no shrinking violet.

As actress Keira Knightley is fond of saying, "Elizabeth is a 21st century girl stuck in an 18th century world. She is amazing," declares Knightley. "Elizabeth has a modern outlook. She is strong and very independent, and when she?s faced with some terrifying obstacles and daunting choices, she kicks ass!"

Bruckheimer and Verbinski took great care in selecting just the right actress for the role of Elizabeth Swann. They considered every imaginable female lead, from famous faces to complete unknowns. But after meeting Knightley, they saw in her that certain something, an indescribable quality that radiated from the 17-year-old, reminiscent of motion picture stars from Hollywood?s heyday.

"Obviously we were looking for a beautiful young woman," acknowledges Bruckheimer, "but beauty alone was not enough. Like many of the characters in this film, Elizabeth is complex, and what you see on the surface isn?t everything. It was imperative that the actress understood the many facets of her character, not just the love story between Elizabeth and Will."

"As a London girl, it was kind of nice for my first Hollywood experience to be the full Jerry Bruckheimer Hollywood experience," gushes Knightley. "It was incredible. I really enjoyed it."

Feminine Wiles

"Keira liked to joke that ?Pirates? was ?a movie about Elizabeth and her boys,?" Bruckheimer laughs. "And to an extent, she?s right. Elizabeth has a connection to each of the main male characters, and even finds herself in some pretty precarious situations with a few of Barbossa?s henchmen. She?s used to getting her way, but she quickly realizes that her usual direct, outspoken approach doesn?t work, so she?s not averse to using her feminine wiles when she has to; Elizabeth can be quite the little actress when necessary. It was wonderful to watch her work; it seems so effortless. Keira is truly gifted."

"Keira steps into the ring and attacks," says Depp of the actress?s approach on set. "She?s just as sweet as she can be and has a great sense of humor. Her work is right on the money, totally professional; she?s amazing. I was very impressed."

"Elizabeth has a morbid curiosity about pirates," says Verbinski. "She reads too many books on the subject and she?s become a sort of pirate groupie. But instead of getting to meet the 'Jon Bon Jovi' of pirates, she ends up with the 'Sid Vicious', and even though she thinks she knows a lot about pirates, she soon learns that all the rules she believes in are meant to be broken."

Knightley agrees with her director. "She romanticizes the entire pirate thing; it?s an obsession really. So it?s an interesting transition for Elizabeth to go from her romantic notions to the cutthroat, dirty reality of piracy. But she has a little pirate in herself," Knightley says with a twinkle in her eye. "Don?t we all?"

Knightley was disappointed, however, that she never got to undergo sword training like her fencing co-stars. "The one thing I asked for was a sword," she complains with a smile. "I fight with candlesticks, poles, even with a bedpan...but no sword. Nobody gives me a sword!" She adds playfully: "I managed to coax promises from Jerry and Gore that if we do another film together, they will give me a sword."

Pirates of the Caribbean is out now on DVD.

More information available in DVD / Home Video