Title: LINKS: To Online Articles (POTC3)
Description: (Archived)
Description: (Archived)
Jesse - July 10, 2006 01:21 PM (GMT)
MTV has an interesting interview with cast and crew who give away quite a few details about POTC3.
And DARK HORIZONS has some POTC3 story/plot spoliers. **Note** Don't read this if you haven't seen POTC2 yet!
And DARK HORIZONS has some POTC3 story/plot spoliers. **Note** Don't read this if you haven't seen POTC2 yet!
Jesse - July 20, 2006 06:27 PM (GMT)
KUTV reports that the third 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is scheduled to film scenes in WEST WENDOVER, Nevada , and cast members will stay at Peppermill's tropical-themed Montego Bay. You can read the full article HERE
Jesse - August 25, 2006 09:25 PM (GMT)
Now this is fun...do not adjust your monitor and no you don't need glasses!!!
How many Captain Jack's can you see?
How Johnny Depp became the Pirated copy
How many Captain Jack's can you see?
How Johnny Depp became the Pirated copy
| QUOTE |
 When Johnny Depp took to the seas and filmed a scene for the third Pirates of the Caribbean film, it wasn't simply a case of seeing double. For there was not one, but five lookalikes on board a boat leaving a Californian beach. And as the epitome of a Hollywood heartthrob, the pulses of female fans worldwide must be racing at the very thought of so many Captain Jack Sparrows. Each of the doubles sported the familiar long tresses and headscarves as they piled into a boat with cast and crew on a beach in California. The third Pirates of the Caribbean, due to hit American cinemas in May next year, will see Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom, and Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightly, sail off the edge of the map for one last battle. Walt Disney Pictures have not yet named the final part of the trilogy, but speculation is rife as to what it could be. The Internet Movie Database has mentioned World's End, At World's End and Unchartered Waters as possibilities. TV and movie industry newsletter Cynopsis also claimed Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards could be making an appearance as Jack Sparrow's father. The first two movies were box office smashes - with Dead Man's Chest raking in £488.3million worldwide so far. The Daily Mail |
melodyslove - October 5, 2006 07:42 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Goodbye Sawyer, Hello Sparrow ...but what has Rasulo fired up in the short term for Disneyland is the same thing that has nearly everyone in Burbank bursting with excitement, and that's the Billion dollar business the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise has just pulled in this summer. In a theme park proposal that was crafted in the corporate offices of Burbank rather than the WDI design studios of Glendale, the Pirates franchise is planned to expand its presence at Disneyland for next summer's release of the third Pirates movie. While another tweak to the lavish 15 minute long E Ticket attraction was always part of the equation, much to the very noisy annoyance of some people at WDI, the corporate bosses are now eyeing an additional piece of property just across the Rivers of America from the ride itself in New Orleans Square. The Burbank bigwigs have Tom Sawyer Island in their sights, and if the budget gets approved later this fall that 50 year old piece of Disneyland history will go the way of the Skyway and the House of the Future. What Burbank has proposed is an ambitious plan to restructure and retheme the island into a pirate playground, where Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones would displace the less than blockbuster Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher. The current proposal calls for over 28 million to be spent this winter rebuilding and rebranding the Tom Sawyer themed attraction. Gone would be the treehouses, trails and caves referenced in the literary works of Mark Twain and originally designed for the simpler audiences of the 1950's. In their place would be snazzier pirate themed activities designed for the kids of the 21st century who have grown up with extreme sports and Super Mario Brothers instead of barrel hoops and Tom Sawyer. The current lush wooded landscaping would also presumably be substantially altered, as tropical islands don't quite match the southern American landscape. This proposal has been moving very quickly (and up to now, quietly) through the approval process and at its core it's driven by the insane profits and audience interest the second Pirates movie generated this summer. Once Burbank made it clear they wanted this remade attraction for Disneyland to coincide with the third movie release next May, the operations folks jumped on the bandwagon and happily added in requests to upgrade the infrastructure and physical facilities on the Island. It's no secret that the Island has needed a makeover and more modern facilities installed for quite some time, and this project is just the ticket to get those things paid for. New bathrooms and regraded trails to accommodate wheelchairs and electric carts were added to the plan, as well as a snack bar and a small shop to milk a few bucks out of the expected hordes of parents and their children. In almost a complete reversal of the normal way a new attraction is proposed, the marketers and merchandisers drafted the concept and the plans and the Imagineers are now left to struggle to come up with the actual designs and themes. The proposal is so sweeping and moving so quickly that it may not all make it by next May. Part of the plan calls for the old Fort Wilderness facility to be razed, and the space used as an interactive pirate museum using exhibits and interactive play spaces such as those used in the Sorcerer's Workshop in DCA's Animation pavilion, or the nifty Fortress Explorations attraction at Tokyo DisneySea. That proposal for Fort Wilderness may be pushed into a Phase Two plan, which would be just fine with Burbank if they move forward on an as yet unscripted fourth installment of the Pirates movie series. And the word is that Johnny Depp is amenable to yet another sequel. Of course, it'a a given that die-hard Disneyland fans will likely recoil in horror when they first hear about this idea. But what should be kept in mind is that this project would make a beloved old corner of Disneyland exciting and relevant again for a new generation of fans. A few years ago Disneyland was forced to go in and remodel some of the play areas on the Island to bring them up to code and pass muster from Disney's own safety department. During that physical rehab and freshening the Disneyland Entertainment department also added live Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn characters to the Island, young men dressed up in 1800's clothing who wandered the island telling stories and jokes as written by Mark Twain. The response from some of the older parents was of bemused interest, but the 7 to 12 year old crowd whom the entertainment was aimed at couldn't figure out who the guys were dressed in the funny clothes and why they kept talking about whitewashing a fence. Does Home Depot even sell whitewash? Is Mark Twain available on a PodCast? While the recent appearance of Tom and Huck on the Island was a noble attempt on Disneyland's part to try and bring Tom Sawyer to life for 21st century audiences, it was obvious these were characters no one under the age of thirty knew much about. Ask a ten year old today who Huck Finn is and you'll get a blank stare, but ask him about Jack Sparrow and you'll get a high five. And that's what has most folks in Imagineering (WDI) a little more excited about the project, as they would love to make sure Disneyland stays as fresh and exciting to audiences in 2006 as it was a half century ago. Rest assured there is a bit of controversy over this plan up and down the halls of WDI, but as this is being driven directly from Burbank apparently they don't have much say in the matter. Now before you storm the MiceChat boards, just try to keep in mind that this still hasn't received the formal green light and funding from Burbank. But it's a project that is moving so quickly and with so much political muscle that it was important to bring to light now. It's also something that needs to be ready to open in just seven short months and there's plenty of work to do, so the formal decision will need to be made quickly, if it hasn't already been decided by the time you read this. We'll of course keep you informed if this gets the green light and we'll keep you in the loop as the endless details of the project get ironed out through the fall. (And yes I'm also wondering what'll happen to the Indian village out back, not to mention the itchy bear and every other river-side tableau.) Add to all that the inclusion of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly animatronics to Pirates itself, plus the massive Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage that promises to be the talk of Southern California next summer, and the rather corny Rockin' Space Mountain and Rockin' California Screamin' overlays for this winter and spring, and suddenly Disneyland's dance card for the next year is very full. The pirates movie premiere is slated for Southern California for a third time next May, although it may take on a different format than the previous two events. Some managers in Walt Disney World had lobbied to have the next premiere staged at their property, but they were shot down by Burbank executives who didn't want to put up with the hot and rainy Florida climate or the cost of flying in a dozen or two celebrities when they could have 100 celebs happily show up for a fraction of the cost in warm and dry Anaheim. But this time, instead of staging the premiere inside Disneyland, the event may end up on the shoreline near Long Beach. If Rasulo has his way, they will have pulled the financials together and be able to use the movie premiere to announce that the third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet is being built and will be home ported in Southern California. Regardless of where and when that announcement is made, it's a commitment that should be announced by next summer with a first year sailing itinerary slated for the end of this decade. You can expect summertime trips up to British Columbia and the Alaskan glaciers, and wintertime trips down the Mexican Riviera, all tied in to a few additional days at Disneyland. |
Jesse - October 13, 2006 08:47 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Rush is speaking from Los Angeles, where he is putting the finishing touches on the third and final instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. "Actually, finishing touches is a bit of an understatement," he laughs. "We're sort of filming the grand finale of the great trilogy where 12 plots all converge on one massive, almost mythological, action sequence. It's quite extraordinary and bigger than Ben-Hur. "The scene we're shooting is a global pirate summit, and I can't say much because (producer) Jerry Bruckheimer might kill me." The production, called At World's End, made the news recently, thanks to claims Rolling Stone Keith Richards, shooting a cameo as Jack Sparrow's father, was drunk on the set. Rush is of no help one way or the other in laying the story to rest. "I think with Keith you get such an excitable persona you're not quite sure where he's at," Rush says. "The man I met on set was a very playful, excitable kid . . . this completely eccentric character turns up and plays by totally different rules to the slightly more manicured actors who turn up, so that was very, very thrilling." Johnny Depp, who famously modelled the Jack Sparrow character after Richards, knew who was boss, Rush says. "He's the only person in the whole trilogy of films who can put Jack Sparrow in his place, and anyone who can put Johnny Depp in his place is a pretty cool guy." Though the first Pirates movie was a hit with critics and audiences, the second, Dead Man's Chest, was notable for the fact the reviews were so bad -- and the box office so utterly, utterly enormous. "There was something in the audience saying, 'Whatever is going on, we want to acknowledge our love of Jack Sparrow and the pirate world'," Rush says. |
A global Pirate summit? Sounds mighty interesting! :brow: No doubt copious amounts of rum will be getting consummed during the negotiations. :lol:
melodyslove - October 23, 2006 08:56 PM (GMT)
Geoffrey Rush's observations for the week while shooting POTC:AWE,from here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml...0/21/bfweek.xml
Wonder what he was teasing Orlando about?? :) Thanks to Sammie's LJ for the link.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml...0/21/bfweek.xml
Wonder what he was teasing Orlando about?? :) Thanks to Sammie's LJ for the link.
| QUOTE |
| My week: Geoffrey Rush, actor -The Pirates of the Caribbean star talks about Hollywood, Pink Floyd and monkeys Monday As with every day recently, I waited for a call that never came. I've been staying in a cottage at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood for seven weeks, completing my third stint as Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. 'Rain, wind machines, explosions, flying debris: I could almost do this in my sleep by now' The almost watertight schedule had sprung a leak, so there was nothing to do but wait. I bounded down Sunset Boulevard to the extraordinary Amoeba Records, in search of some Pink Floyd albums, and supped on chicken and vegetable soup at Greenblatt's Famous Deli. It's the only place in LA you can avoid huge platefuls of fatty steak. Tuesday Still no call, so I did sudoku and trod water in the hotel pool. The failing autumn sun meant no one was there. Except Jerry Stiller – senior vaudevillian in his seventies and father of Ben – who was learning his lines. As we waded, he told me about his lucky break in the 1960s at Peter Cook's Soho comedy club, The Establishment. He replaced Lenny Bruce after the stand-up was deported for obscenity. The past is a vibrant place. Wednesday At last, a call at 6.30am: I was needed on set to film the huge finale. My assistant brought me a frothy latte and we drove north to the industrial desert town of Palmdale. Two full-scale galleons were mounted on rocking gimbals against a blue screen in what, rumour had it, was a hangar for building stealth bombers. After a breakfast burger and more than two hours in make-up, I was ready to face the rain, wind machines, loud-hailer directions, explosions, flying debris, plummeting stuntmen, and a skittish monkey specially trained to ignore me. I could almost do this in my sleep by now. Thursday Up at 7am to film close-ups for a scene set on an Asian pirate ship as it leaves a burning Singapore. I goaded my co-star, Orlando Bloom, while Gore Verbinski, the director, oversaw a long tracking shot. Back at the Marmont later, I checked the web for press coverage of the Australian Film Institute Awards, which I'm hosting this year. It all looked pretty positive. Friday I woke to find the 2007 brochure for a Sydney theatre under my door. Neil Armfield – who directed my latest film, Candy – and I are working together on a new translation of Eugene Ionesco's Exit the King to put on in Sydney next year. I'd seen the proofs online, but this was like holding a prayerbook in my hands. It made me hope we'd scrub up something good. |
Jesse - November 2, 2006 09:16 AM (GMT)
From Zap2it, ILM talk about the Visual Effects...
| QUOTE |
| "There's not a big, technological hurdle with those [new] characters, but there is an aspect to '3' that's a huge hurdle for the visual effects crew," adds Animation Supervisor Hal T. Hickel. "I can't really say what it is, but as big as Davy was for us on '2,' this other stuff is going to be just as big a headache for us on '3.'" |
Sounds VERY interesting! :brow:
You can read the full article here: Pirates 3 Flies With More Dutchmen
melodyslove - December 7, 2006 09:11 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Terry Rossio, co-writer of the Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming third and final film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, will have a grand finale that sends the franchise off in an epic manner. "The most difficult thing about writing a trilogy is coming up with the climactic ending of the trilogy," Rossio said in an interview on Dec. 5 to promote that day's DVD release of the second film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. "So for that third film, you have not only the usual challenges of coming up with an ending, but somehow you have to have the ending of all endings." The third film finds Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) joining forces with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to save Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from a watery grave. Part of the film was shot simultaneously with the second on location in the Caribbean, but production is scheduled to continue until early 2007. Rossio said that the cast and crew are already starting to feel wistful about the conclusion of the franchise. "The one thing for me that's unique about At Worlds End is that there's a sense of finality to it," Rossio said. "Everybody on set feels it as we're winding down shooting. This is a giant, epic fantasy trilogy, and it's coming to a close. There's resolution to the characters. It is that sort of culmination of the storyline. It's coming to a climax. What couldn't be there in Dead Man's Chest is present in At Worlds End. And that's kind of interesting." At Worlds End is set to open Memorial Day weekend 2007. |
melodyslove - December 15, 2006 12:49 PM (GMT)
An interview with POTC writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott,from here:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17833
Thanks to ohjohnny.net for the link. :)
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17833
Thanks to ohjohnny.net for the link. :)
| QUOTE |
| If there was such thing as the Midas touch in Hollywood, then screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio certainly have figured out how to apply it to moviemaking. After writing the screenplay for Disney's hugely successful animated film Aladdin in the early '90s, they revived the swashbuckler genre with The Mask of Zorro in 1998, then went on to co-write the original Shrek a few years later. When their Disney animated film Treasure Planet failed to find success, one would think they would get as far away from pirates as they possibly could. Instead, they wrote the screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a pretty gutsy move considering how poorly previous pirate films had done, and this one was loosely based on a Disney theme park ride! The rest, as they say, is history, and five months after that hit movie's sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest set all sorts of records, becoming the biggest movie of 2006 and the sixth highest-grossing movies of all time, it's finally out on DVD. ComingSoon.net talked to the two guys as they put the finishing touches on the third part of their trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, which comes out next summer. ComingSoon.net: You've been working on these Pirates movies for a few years now. Have you finished the writing part at this point or are you still on-set working on rewrites while they're shooting? Ted Elliott: The script is finished. We tend to show up on set when we're shooting new scenes and stuff. We were hanging pirates yesterday, so that was really interesting. We're actually kind of winding down to a situation where everything's been shot, and it's now time to put the movie together. Terry Rossio: Yeah, I think we're just a couple weeks away. There's a fair amount of stunt work to be done, and one or two more scenes where hopefully we're there for rehearsal, they'll play well and won't require too much change. So yeah, it feels like we're coming to the end of a long road. CS: Did you guys write the screenplays for 2 and 3 at the same time or just lay out the groundwork for both movies? Elliott: When Disney made the decision to do two sequels back-to-back, we sat down and worked out the story for both of them. And in doing so, we basically said okay if they're doing two back-to-back, let's make it a trilogy, and we kind of retro-engineered the first one, which was designed as a single story, a standalone, all in of itself complete, and we were able to transform that into the first of a trilogy. Rossio: Yeah, it's all looking forward to that triple trilogy box set. Elliott: Yes, exactly. Rossio: I actually went to a screening of "Back to the Future" in a theatre where they played all three films, and the ultimate thrill I think will be if somebody ever does that with the three Pirates movies, to go to a theatre and watch all three finished films. Hopefully, what we've done is we will have designed them to where if you do watch all three together, they'll be one overall cohesive story. CS: I saw "Lord of the Rings" that way, and that was a very long day. Rossio: Yeah, "Lord of the Rings" wanted to make it even longer by doing it with the extended versions. That's the way to do it. CS: How closely have you worked with Gore Verbinski on the last two scripts, as far as coming up with ideas that can be realized? Rossio: It's very collaborative. Gore will make all sorts of suggestions and contributions from characterizations to story points and obviously visualizations. Then also, there's the conceptual artist Crash Davis, there's Jim Burkett who works with Gore in doing story sketches, so yeah, it's filmmaking, it's hugely collaborative. CS: When writing the scripts, do you write out entire action scenes with descriptions of the action or do you leave that to Gore and the action choreographers, just writing general things? Rossio: It's a combination. We'll get specific in some cases and in some cases, the stunts that are designed are embellished or extended from what's written. CS: Was the original Pirates script one you developed yourself and brought it to Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney? Elliott: We had actually tried to get Disney interested in doing a movie based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride after we finished working on "Aladdin" back in '92. At that time, there was a different company philosophy and different management in place, then about ten years later, Disney kind of had the same idea and caught up to us. We'd been talking with Mike Stenson at Bruckheimer Productions about doing a project together but we hadn't really found anything, and he calls us one day and says, "You know, we're producing this movie and I don't know if you guys would be interested, but do you know the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland?" And we were like, "Oh, you mean the thing we've been thinking about, how do you make a pirate movie, for the last ten years? Yeah, I think we might be interested in that." CS: Then you wrote a script, gave it to them, they liked it and it went from there? Elliott: It was bringing in the supernatural aspect and they went with that, and we had some very specific ideas about the type of character you needed at the center of a pirate movie. Taking a cue from Long John Silver in "Treasure Island," it had to be somebody who you kind of alternated between going, "Well, is this the most charming person I've ever met or is it a despicable villain who I should not turn my back on?" It's just that idea of the trickster, the completely amoral character wandering around the world, and that was what we brought into Captain Jack Sparrow. CS: The very idea of writing a pirate movie is pretty daring, especially after "Cutthroat Island." I remember before the first movie came out, a lot of people were skeptical about it working. I'm not sure anybody thought it could be as huge as it ended up becoming. Elliott: I did. It's actually in print on Terry and my web site. I actually called $300 million for the first movie. That was sort of more wishful thinking at that point. When we were working on it, Terry and I felt confident that if it was possible for a pirate movie to be successful, this was the approach it required to do it. As we were working on it, we had the feeling that not only was it possible we may never get to write another pirate movie again, it was also possible that NO ONE would ever get to write another pirate movie again. Rossio: I think there was a resistance because when you add up that pirate movies, those don't work, and that it's based on a theme park ride. For some reason, people thought that was a bad idea, I'm not sure why. But on the other hand, I think it could be marvelous to enter the market place with movies that are sort of their own genre or that help define a genre. I don't think that with all the films that have ever been made, nobody had ever really made a supernatural pirate movie. Nobody has made a supernatural film set on the ocean in terms of something that played into all of those great myths and legends and stories, evoking the sense of what you get on say a ghost ship or a horrifying skeleton. It is those things, curses, cursed treasure. It just felt like, well wait a second, we're working on something here hasn't been done before, and that could work. Whatever had come before really didn't matter. CS: Having written the last two movies at the same time, does "At Worlds End" have a different tone than "Dead Man's Chest" or is it literally a continuation of where the last one left off? Elliott: We have actually tried to make sure that each of the three had its own identity. It would have been easier probably to simply remake "Curse of the Black Pearl" twice, but we actually wanted to insure that the movies had their own identities in of themselves, their own stories. 2 we went a little bit more comedic, broad comedic, because we were going to a far darker place with the characters, and 3, I think has… "At Worlds End" is a fairly apt title. There is sort of the idea of the end of an era, the Golden Age of Piracy coming to a close. Rossio: I have to give a lot of credit to the studio in terms of the willingness to take risks, because these films are hugely expensive. In the case of "Dead Man's Chest," it wasn't repeating the formula, it was being something different. Gore will not shoot the same movie twice and Johnny will not give the same performance twice, they just won't, and that takes an enormous amount of trust on the part of the studio, creatively and artistically, to believe that something that is different will also work. Elliott: Well, we're more than willing to write the same movie over and over. Rossio: And certainly, "At Worlds End," the tone is actually different. Like Ted said, there's an epic end of the era [feel to it]. CS: I thought it was interesting that you guys wrote for a lot of animated films, and you've maintained some of the same genres between animated and live action movies like "Road to El Dorado" and Zorro, and "Treasure Planet" and the Pirates movies. Rossio: Actually, I think Zorro preceded "El Dorado." There are certain stories we like telling, certain genres. One of the things about animation that we really enjoyed is that it really is so story-driven in a way that live action movies aren't. Live action movies a lot of times you can have the actor, simply seeing that person on screen being charming, can carry a lot of the film, but with animated films, it's all focused on the story. And so, it's a great place if you want to tell stories, that was what attracted us to it. CS: With that in mind, would you guys ever consider writing a live-action Aladdin movie, a similar big scale movie, as opposed to a family animated comedy? Elliott: Well, wait, isn't Pirates a similar scale? I hadn't really thought about it. To some extent, you feel like, "Oh, yeah…but no, we told that story." Where's the Broadway musical of Aladdin? What's the deal there, Disney, come on! CS: I guess they haven't gotten to it yet, and they have to do the Broadway musical of Pirates first. You know it will happen. Elliott: (laughs) CS: Is there anything extra on the DVD of "Dead Man's Chest" that we all should be looking forward to? Elliott: The one I'm actually looking forward to is how ILM realized Davey Jones and the Dutchman crew, because I think there are still people out there who are convinced that was prosthetics. To actually see that process and to see how Bill Nighy created that performance, it's amazing. CS: There's already a lot of talk about fourth movie. Is that something you'd want to be involved with or is "At Worlds End" the end of the story you both wanted to tell? Elliott: In all honesty, I heard that talk, too, but right now, we're just kind of looking forward to having finished these two. No dissembling there. "Okay, is it okay if we finish shooting the third one before we start thinking about the fourth one?" Rossio: People will always talk about whatever they want, but there's no guarantee of a fourth film. There's forces in play that would hopefully make it happen, there are forces in play that could prevent it. It's quite possible that "At Worlds End" will be it. I guess it's like talk of the next Indiana Jones movie for so long. I'm sure there'll always be speculation, but for right now, this trilogy is designed to come to a conclusion. CS: Or maybe we'll see a fourth movie in 15 or 16 years? Rossio: (obviously joking) Exactly. Could be 4, 5 and 6 in twenty years from now. CS: The Pirates prequel, excellent! We heard it here first! So do you guys have anything else lined up already or are you just going to unwind and relax? Elliott: Nothing lined up at this point. Some things are looking up, but like I said, it will just be nice to be done, just to take that little time. Rossio: There's things that have always interested us, but I think we'd have to be a little coy on that due to rights issues. Elliott: I think you've already said too much. Now we have to kill him. While the writer goes into hiding, you can get Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, out on DVD right now, while Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End is released nationwide on May 25, 2007. |
melodyslove - December 17, 2006 08:39 AM (GMT)
It's a wrap-finally!!-according to Terry Rossio's blog,from here:
http://www.wordplayer.com/forums/movies/index.cgi?read=92913
Thanks to ohjohnny.net for the link. :)
http://www.wordplayer.com/forums/movies/index.cgi?read=92913
Thanks to ohjohnny.net for the link. :)
| QUOTE |
| It's a WRAP! PotC II & III Posted by Terry on Thursday, 14 December 2006, at 6:13 p.m. In the wee hours yesterday morning, the final 'check the gate' was called, on Pirates of the Caribbean II & III (Dead Man's Chest/At World's End). 6 countries. 141 2nd unit days. 281 1st unit days. 256 3/8 pages. 4000+ crew members. 2,868,690 feet of film. 3,409 hours, 24 minutes of filming. February 24, 2005-December 12, 2006 Now the race to complete the editing, reshoots, and visual effects is on. We'll go for some time off. I need to catch up on screenplays people have asked me to read, wordplay columns and website work, a new blog entry, taxes, hanging with friends and family, sleep, working out; there's also prepping new projects, and also work to be done to help out on the merchandizing and games, etc.; a lawsuit to deal with, and we're consulting on National Treasure II; etc., etc. ~*~ Ted Elliot also posted in response to a question about existentialism in the PotC trilogy: Because existentialism posits a universe with no inherent ethical or moral order or structure, this means that have individuals have ultimate freedom to act as they choose (within the constraints of what Sartre called "facticity" -- what a man can do, and what a man can't do) -- and that means that individuals have ultimate responsibility for their actions. This is why Sartre described the state of the individual as "condemned to be free." In their relationships with others, though, individuals can (freely) choose to limit their own freedom -- but having limited their own freedom, can the individual still be said to be completely free? And this is not just limited to relationships with others individually; it extends to relationships to relationships with others collectively, as in a society. However (says Sartre), someone who accepts his/her role as dictated by an already-established system is living an "un-authentic" life. This is an easy way to live, ignoring one's own individual existence, accepting instead that one is a replaceable cog in system of established ethical standards and values. Existence precedes essence; first, recognizing one's individual existence, and then discovering/determining one's essence, independent of any traditional system -- becoming an "authentic" person -- is both the exercise of one's freedom and the responsibility of having that freedom. |
Jesse - January 11, 2007 10:13 AM (GMT)
WARNING!!!! SIT YE DOWN BEFORE CLICKING!!!!
Quick go to Ain't It Cool News for PIRATES 3 THEATRICAL PUBLICITY PICS
:faint: :faint: :faint:
I'm just holding fire until I post the pics here...better be safe than sorry! :flirt:
Thanks to Jeppody for the heads-up.
Quick go to Ain't It Cool News for PIRATES 3 THEATRICAL PUBLICITY PICS
:faint: :faint: :faint:
I'm just holding fire until I post the pics here...better be safe than sorry! :flirt:
Thanks to Jeppody for the heads-up.
Jesse - January 18, 2007 10:05 AM (GMT)
I'm posting a link to these AWE concept art pictures at AICN because there are explanations to go with each piece of art work.
Before you do click, be aware that this link contains MASSIVE film spoilers: CONCEPT ART AT 'AIN'T IT COOL NEWS'
Before you do click, be aware that this link contains MASSIVE film spoilers: CONCEPT ART AT 'AIN'T IT COOL NEWS'
Jesse - January 29, 2007 09:34 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| n the follow-up to the record-breaking smash 2006 hit PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN's CHEST, we find our heroes Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones locker while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way, hangs in the balance. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski from a screenplay written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, our beloved cast sets sail once again on a fresh new adventure in May 2007. |
Jesse - February 2, 2007 10:24 AM (GMT)
This sounds incredible, we can all play it together...and get no work done at all! :lol:
I like the sound of this...
I like the sound of this...
| QUOTE |
| The game will span hundreds of hours of entertainment and gamers will interact with characters from the film, including Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann. All of the actors have approved their likenesses for the game, which will blend these characters with the custom avatar that players can create. The options in customization will allow you to create a character that looks very close to yourself, which will literally put you into the Pirates world. |
:brow: Sounds mighty interesting!! :brow:
:lol:
Jesse - February 11, 2007 08:05 PM (GMT)
Thanks to Rosesparrow at Johnny Depp Reads for finding out the following.
If you go to zizzle.com you will find some fascinating facts about Pirates Of The Caribbean form the 'Secrets Of The Deep' pages...
I'm adding the page links as well because there is some wonderful hires concept art under the POTC information pictures (just click the thumbnails on the page).
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret1.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret2.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret3.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret4.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret5.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret6.html
If you go to zizzle.com you will find some fascinating facts about Pirates Of The Caribbean form the 'Secrets Of The Deep' pages...
I'm adding the page links as well because there is some wonderful hires concept art under the POTC information pictures (just click the thumbnails on the page).
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret1.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret2.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret3.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret4.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret5.html
http://www.zizzle.com/V12a/products/produc...es-secret6.html
Jesse - February 20, 2007 08:51 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
Jack Sparrow finds Chinese pirates in At World's End ONG KONG — While Western pirates are a familiar feature of Hollywood movies, Disney is introducing a Chinese sea bandit in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Capt. Sao Feng — played by Chow Yun-fat — is a key figure in saving Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the world of the dead in the third installment of the megahit movie series, due out May 25. Production photos show him with a bald head, long nails and long, thin mustache. He's wearing several layers of dark green armor and a jade ring on his pinky finger. Sao Feng is fictional, of course. But what were real Chinese pirates like? They wore bright silk costumes and ate the hearts of their enemies to strike fear in their subjects, historians say. In some parts of China, they overwhelmed the navy and served as a de facto government, regulating trade and collecting taxes. Much of the heritage of Chinese pirates traces back to Hong Kong. Lantau island, where modern jetliners take off today at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, was the site of a major battle between pirates and the imperial Chinese navy in 1809. The city was such a pirate stronghold that navigational charts of that era referred to the Hong Kong group of islands as "Ladrones" — Portuguese for robbers. The outlying island of Cheung Chau has an idyllic fishing village — and a famous legend, the great pirate Zhang Baozai. While Zhang is believed to have operated in Hong Kong waters, no evidence suggests he was ever based in Cheung Chau. But that hasn't stopped the legend from growing. Tucked under a pile of large rocks along the southern coastline of Cheung Chau is a narrow passageway mythically believed to be one of Zhang's lairs. It's one of the island's major tourist attractions. Zhang's legend is enhanced by his colorful personal life. As a youngster, he was adopted by the pirate Zheng Yi and his wife Zheng Yisao and became his stepfather's boy lover. After Zheng Yi's death, Zhang married his stepmother and had a child with her. Zhang was said to have been tall and charismatic, according to research by the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. The museum's director, Stephen Davies, said Zhang was known to wear flamboyant purple or red silk gowns. Rank-and-file pirates dressed in duller colors faded by sunlight and washing and stained with tar, blood and waterproofing tung oil, according to Davies. A 19th century scroll depicting the 1809 battle off Lantau island shows pirates wearing loose blue frocks and white pants with blue socks pulled up to knee level. Zhang was religious, always worshipping the gods before taking action, and was keenly interested in Western weaponry. Pirates from Zhang's era fought with swords, pole guns and pike heads. The average Chinese pirate ship was smaller and not as well armed as its Western counterparts, historians say. They were mainly seized junks averaging about 40 feet long, with smaller junks deployed to navigate inland creeks. The junks carried fewer cannons than in the West because less-sophisticated Chinese ship building technology limited the vessels' ability to handle ammunition recoil. But battleships from the imperial government — often converted rice transport ships — were even smaller and more poorly armed. Zhang's fleet crushed the Chinese navy, more than halving its fleet from 165 ships to 72 in two battles in 1808 and 1809. |
eclectic53185 - February 24, 2007 01:58 AM (GMT)
This is "Pirates" related...kinda covers all 3!
I emailed a letter of inquiry to Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio's blog site "Wordplay Forums"...& Terry responded back!!! :D (for those who read this & wonder-who are they??!!!...they're the screenwriters of all the "Pirates..." movies!)
http://www.wordplayer.com/forums/movies/index.cgi?read=94949
It involves our Will & I think you'll be interested in Terry's response!!! Read all the replies...VERY mixed answers.
Enjoy! :bigwink:
Let me know...& I'll tell you who I think ends up with it!!!
I emailed a letter of inquiry to Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio's blog site "Wordplay Forums"...& Terry responded back!!! :D (for those who read this & wonder-who are they??!!!...they're the screenwriters of all the "Pirates..." movies!)
http://www.wordplayer.com/forums/movies/index.cgi?read=94949
It involves our Will & I think you'll be interested in Terry's response!!! Read all the replies...VERY mixed answers.
Enjoy! :bigwink:
Let me know...& I'll tell you who I think ends up with it!!!
eclectic53185 - March 12, 2007 10:31 PM (GMT)
I just found these posted on another site & want to share! :P
There's 2 of Orlando that are to DIE for!!!!!!! :ex:
http://www.potcfansite.nl/cutenews/show_ne...mplate=POTCNews
They seem to be from a Dutch fansite.
FANTASTIC!!!!!! & worth a peek!!!
ENJOY!!!
There's 2 of Orlando that are to DIE for!!!!!!! :ex:
http://www.potcfansite.nl/cutenews/show_ne...mplate=POTCNews
They seem to be from a Dutch fansite.
FANTASTIC!!!!!! & worth a peek!!!
ENJOY!!!
Jesse - March 13, 2007 10:29 AM (GMT)
Found some more with thanks to OBM for the link: http://www.movie.de/gallery.php?movie=1025&file=9#
Interconnector - March 16, 2007 04:23 AM (GMT)
From USA Today
| QUOTE |
| The secret's out: Sparrow returns for 'Pirates' 3 Though Johnny Depp's iconic Jack Sparrow was swallowed whole by the many-tentacled sea beast at the end of last summer's blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the makers of the third installment say it should be no surprise that he survives. The only worst-kept secret is that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, on whom Sparrow was partly modeled, would be in the third movie, At World's End, opening May 25. "It would be hard to suspend the belief that Jack Sparrow isn't going to be back," says Orlando Bloom, who plays Will, Sparrow's romantic rival for Keira Knightley. Director Gore Verbinski says the suspense will come from how Sparrow's friends rescue him from the afterlife. "As always, he has his own path in the madness," Verbinski says. "It's interesting what solitary confinement does to the brain. If his brain was sunbaked before, it's freeze-dried now." The story involves Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) teaming with the previously deceased bad-guy Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who made a surprise appearance at the end of Dead Man's Chest. They journey to 18th-century Shanghai to secure maps from Chinese pirate lord Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) that will lead them to the ends of the earth, where ships plunge off the edge of the sea into the afterlife. Bloom says his too-good-to-be-true Will gets to have devious motives. "The question is why do we need to have Jack Sparrow back? And that's revealed in this movie," Bloom says. "But I thought it would be cool for Will to be slightly darker. He's so good, but he wants to be bad." Verbinski says everyone gets to be bad this time. "There are betrayals on top of betrayals," he says. "There's a meeting of the pirate lords, and it's like a bad gathering of relatives at Thanksgiving, where everybody is pretending to get along. You can feel the psychosis. It's a fishbowl filled with sharks." Naomie Harris, who plays the witch Tia Dalma, says she finally gets to leave her swamp because she has her own secrets to reveal. "In her own environment she's playful; in other environments, she's serious," Harris says. "She has a lot of powers, and she's out for herself." A trailer for At World's End will air during Monday's Dancing With the Stars on ABC. |
RosieB - March 30, 2007 07:23 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
Orlando Bloom, 21st century swashbuckler "Pirates" star says he could handle himself in a sword fight. By Mary McNamara, Times Staff Writer March 30, 2007 He's often compared to a modern day Errol Flynn. After all, Orlando Bloom has the good looks and the swashbuckling credits: He's played the bow-and-arrow-carrying elf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, he starred in the sandals-and-swords Crusades drama "Kingdom of Heaven," and he's done his share of sword fighting in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. Asked if he could, at this point, actually defend his life with a sword, Bloom laughed. "That's a good question," Bloom said during an interview after wrapping final shooting for Disney's latest installment in the series, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." "You know, I think I'd be all right, actually. I have good special awareness and I'm pretty comfortable with a sword. Of course, it would depend on my opponent." |
I think he could probably beat most opponents without much trouble :lol:
:pirates: :pirates:
And at Movieweb- their Studio Briefing has this to say about the upcoming fight for the most viewings on the big three movies out in May
| QUOTE |
>SHREK TO BATTLE SPIDER-MAN, PIRATES; WHO'LL WIN? With three big sequels due out in May, the one that draws the most repeat business will come out on top, DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg told investors at a Bank of America conference in New York on Wednesday. His company's Shrek the Third will be competing against Sony-Columbia's Spider-Man 3 and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. "Everyone is going to see Shrek. Everyone is going to see Pirates. Everyone is going to see Spider-Man," he said. "The difference is which one of those movies are going to get multiple viewings." Katzenberg also had a dim view of the prospects for the two competing high-definition DVD formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD, saying that for the average consumer the difference in quality between standard DVD and the hi-def models is too slight to make a difference. He also forecast that movie sales via Internet downloads over the next 18-24 months would be "negligible." |
and I think we all know who will come out top don't we? :naughty:
| QUOTE |
| Most Requested Upcoming Films: 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 3. Spider-Man 3 |
Shrek doesn't even make the Top 20! :giggle:
:pirates: will rule the world again!! :ex:
Jesse - April 15, 2007 09:28 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Producer Jerry Bruckheimer could be seen as something of a modern day pirate in the sense that he has invaded and conquered prime television with hits like C.S.I., The Amazing Race, Cold Case and Without A Trace. And this after he conquered Hollywood with too many hits to name. Yet it is all dwarfed by the accomplishments of the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy, which has succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations and promises to live on for generations to come. In the following Q&A, he provides some insight into the making of what could be the final Pirates film, At World’s End. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: It’s been suggested that the Pirates trilogy is really old-fashioned movie making at its best; a throwback, in a sense. Do you agree with that? JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: It is, but we still have to add the visual effects to it. In the old days you didn’t have to do much of that. The way effects elements were added made things second or third generation in terms of quality, and now everything is first generation which looks beautiful. But the storytelling is old-fashioned in a way and so is the way Gore [Verbinski] has filmed them. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: It seems like you tried to shoot as much of it as you could on the set or, in this case, on the sea. JERRY: We definitely did. That was important to us. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: Which is definitely going against the trend of modern moviemaking. JERRY: Well, it depends on the movie and the director. Some directors much prefer doing it on the stage rather than on the computer with visual effects. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: Based on the DVD documentaries, it seemed as though the story like everything else was in a state of evolution throughout the making of the second film. Was the same true on the third? JERRY: It constantly evolves. The writers are on the set all the time, the actors have wonderful ideas, so we’re constantly making corrections and additions to what we are filming. So it’s always changing. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: There’s not a lot out there on the story for At World’s End. What can you tell us about it? JERRY: It’s basically the quest to find Jack Sparrow. Once they do find him, each character has an agenda. Will wants to find his father and save his father. Elizabeth wants to be with Will and Jack doesn’t ever want to go back to Davy Jones’ locker. So they each are working with their own agenda. And of course Beckett is wanting to control the seas, which with control of Davy Jones [by having Davy Jones’ heart] he has. He’s devouring the pirates, so it’s the pirates’ last stand amongst all the individual characters and what each character wants to accomplish. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: Based on the trailer, you’ve got a coming together of different pirates from around the world. JERRY: That’s right. They’re trying to protect the seas from Beckett and Davy Jones and save their kind from extinction. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: When I spoke to writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott last year, they made it pretty clear that At World’s End truly was the end; that a fourth film would have to represent a drastic change in approach. JERRY: I think what we tried to accomplish in At World’s End is that this is the end of the trilogy; this is the end of the story. We’ve taken Will from being this naïve young blacksmith and turned him into this adventurer; and Elizabeth from being this young, beautiful governor’s daughter to the point where she’s almost a pirate; and Captain Jack, of course, being Captain Jack, always looking out for himself and trying to get the Black Pearl. This will be the end of that particular story with these characters. So if a Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 was to happen, it would have to be something very different. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: When you look back at the Pirates trilogy, what’s your feeling about what was able to be accomplished in its making? JERRY: It’s really exciting, because you go into these things and you never know what you’re going to end up with. I knew I had a world-class filmmaker and a world-class cast and screenwriters, and when you put that kind of creative energy together you usually get some explosive things, and that’s exactly what happened with Pirates. It all comes down to the talent, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. GEEKMONTHLY.COM: Did it surpass your expectations from when you began? JERRY: I never have expectations. I hope for the best and expect the worst. I go in with the hope that we’ll survive and, of course, we did more than survive. |
RosieB - April 18, 2007 07:48 AM (GMT)
There is an interview on Disney Insider.com with Rick Heinrichs, Production Designer on AWE - it's going to be nearly three hours long - Yippeeeee!!! :ex: :ex: :ex: (Thanks to OBM)
| QUOTE |
| A World of Excitement Approaches It's looming on the horizon -- the Jolly Roger fluttering from its mast. It's the adventure of the summer. Although it won't make landfall until May 25, anticipation is already growing for "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," the final film in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. This one will take Captain Jack and crew to the ends of the Earth -- literally! And according to production designer Rick Heinrichs, it will be unlike anything you've seen before -- even in the previous "Pirates" films. "It really does go off into new locations and a new look. It has a more restrained graphic and simplified look," he says. "Pirates: At World's End" will take our heroes far from the Caribbean into the far East and uncharted waters beyond. "[The look is] in keeping with the Asian themes, but also because we're at world's end and we're dealing more with landscapes of the mind." We talked to Rick about the making of "Pirates: At World's End" as well as the second film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." He gave us a peek into the upcoming excitement -- from some harrowing moments on slippery decks to a journey that none of our heroes... ... will ever forget. Rick is an old Disney hand -- he started his career in 1979, working under Blaine Gibson, the then-head-sculptor at WED Enterprises. He was also working under another set of heads -- the original clay head sculptures used when the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was created. Rick says that these busts were a great inspiration to him -- especially when the time came for him to imagine the world of "Pirates." "[Imagineering legend] Marc Davis did such an amazing job -- you can tell it was done by people who were telling stories and developing characters, who thought about telling stories the way you do onscreen in a movie. I was very inspired by that." Rick got his chance to put that inspiration to work when he joined the "Pirates" crew to work on the second and third films. Parts of the two movies were filmed simultaneously -- a race to take advantage of locations in The Bahamas, even as the script for "Pirates: At World's End" was still flying off the typewriters. "When we were down in the Caribbean and The Bahamas with the special tanks that we had built there for shooting water scenes, we tried to film as much of the third movie as would make sense," Rick explains. "The third film's script wasn't completely finished when we were shooting No. 2, so there was a bit of a scramble to figure out which scenes made sense to shoot down there." Some of the most exciting moments in the third film, however, were beyond what the film crew could create in a water tank. Rick and the rest of the team had to film one of the most elaborate ship-to-ship confrontations ever seen onscreen. To make the scene feel completely real to audiences, the filmmakers went above and beyond, spending weeks to build unique sets and equipment that put the actors in the middle of a typhoon on the pitching, rolling decks of their ships. It was an impressive accomplishment -- but a demanding one. "It was incredibly hard on the crew and the cast. They had to be out there in the wet for 16 hours a day," Rick says. "Our art department was right off the stage there, and we would stand on the stage and look up at what they were doing, and be incredibly glad we weren't up there, 30 feet in the air. They were getting drenched and blown and slipping and sliding. But nobody got hurt." The plot of "Pirates: At World's End" is a secret as closely guarded as a pirate's treasure horde. But Rick confirms that the title should be taken literally -- expect to see the very edge of the world itself on film ... and to discover, along with Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth, and Will Turner, what lies beyond. It's not a discovery to be taken lightly, as Captain Jack will discover. As the trilogy draws to a close, no one can say whether the voyagers aboard the Black Pearl will have more adventures in store. For Rick, at least, coming this far has been an amazing journey. "I've loved Pirates of the Caribbean since I first rode the attraction, so this has been a thrilling experience -- not just because it gave me a chance to work with [director] Gore Verbinski and work with Disney again, but because this was something from my own childhood that had such a great impact on me. And I think we've succeeded in giving the movies a limitless quality that suggests we are concentrating on one portion of the pirate world, but there's so much more out there." Next month, we'll see a lot more of that world ... and we can hardly wait |
They can hardly wait????? What about us????
:ex: :ex: :ex:
RosieB - April 18, 2007 07:53 AM (GMT)
Some of the Jewellery from AWE will be on display in the States See Article Here (Thanks to OBM for the link)
| QUOTE |
Check out the 'Pirates' booty, matey By Deanna Truman-Cook Iowa City Press-Citizen Before the movie even comes out, residents will have a chance to see jewelry from "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Abigail Restko, owner of Glassando, has managed to snag 10 pieces from the upcoming Walt Disney production. The jewelry, all necklaces, as well as other works by Californian artist Laura Levy will be on display today through April 29 at the store in Old Capitol Town Center. "I just thought it would be fun," Restko said. "It is really different. I think there is too much sameness. "If you wore them, people would ask you, 'Where did you get that?'" Although the pieces are on display and not for sale, orders for reproductions for all but one necklace will be taken. This piece features a cow skull and would probably be too hard to reproduce, Restko said. Restko is not allowed to tell which character wears what until after the movie is released May 25, under Walt Disney rules. The cost of the jewelry from the movie ranges from $150 to $1,150. All the necklaces were designed for men in the movie. Among the pieces is a Spanish rosary with a skull and skeleton, a choker crocheted with jade and antiqued brass, and a necklace featuring African trading beads with coins and black onyx leafs tied with rope. The majority of the necklaces feature brown hues. Jessica Hodge, marketing coordinator of the Old Capitol Town Center, thinks the jewelry will bring more patrons into the mall. "People who enjoy the movie and like Johnny Depp will be interested in seeing what Abby has on display," she said. In addition to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" jewelry, Restko will sell many of Levy's other works, including a wide selection of belts with silver and precious stones as well as wood and shell bracelets and necklaces. The cost of Levy's other work at Glassando is $35 to $375. Restko, who specializes in handmade jewelry, met Levy at a trade show in Arizona in January. "Her work just really stood out," Restko said. "It has an organic quality." |
:pirates:
Jesse - April 18, 2007 06:30 PM (GMT)
Thanks to OBM for the heads-up on this article from wizarduniverse.com...
Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio swap sea stories on ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End’
When we last left effeminate, addle-brained Captain Jack Sparrow—portrayed with scenery-munching glee by Johnny Depp—the pirate was presumed trapped in the netherworld of Davy Jones’ Locker, consigned to a fate that involves no end of torture, pathos and a steady diet of ragweed.
While Sparrow may not know his salvation is pending, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio do.
The screenwriting team has penned all three of Disney’s theme-park-turned-blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, including May 25’s “At World’s End.” And even though attempting to siphon hints about the grand finale is like sailing on sand, Wizard still attempted to make the scribes walk the proverbial plank.
As the film opens, with Depp’s Sparrow imprisoned in a wasteland, cohorts “Will [Orlando Bloom] and Elizabeth [Kiera Knightley] arrive in Singapore in their quest to find and rescue him,” offers the duo. (Elizabeth, fans may recall, actually trapped Sparrow on a doomed ship in order to avoid the wrath of the monstrous Kraken.) “The world is suffering at the hands of Lord Cutler Beckett, with Davy Jones on his side. Elizabeth is suffering from guilt, Will from jealousy. And everyone is suffering from the lack of Captain Jack Sparrow.”
In “Dead Man’s Chest,” opposition was around every spin of the compass, with Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) looking to eradicate piracy on the open seas and tentacle-chinned Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who once raised Sparrow’s ship, eager to settle their debt.
For “World’s End,” both Elliott and Russio maintain the villains may not be so easily spotted. “The fun of a pirate movie is to explore moral ambiguity,” they muse. “Each character faces a moment of choice, where their actions could be taken as villainy. Our theme would place the main villain as having selfish pursuits unrestrained by right and wrong. That’s a villain who can appear anywhere, from a pirate to a representative of the law.”
One such ambiguous player is Sao Feng, an Asian pirate portrayed by Chow Yun-Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). “He’s the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea, one of the Nine Pirate Lords that make up the Brethren Court,” explain the pair. He sees the end of the era of piracy coming, he see the final stand coming, and desires only to be on the winning side.”
That goes double for Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), the ghostly apparition that terrorized Depp and company in the first film and returned at the climax of the second to possibly help find Sparrow.
“Geoffrey Rush is our secret weapon,” the scribes proclaim. “His contribution was, we believe, vastly underrated on the first film. His character and his performance very much define the flavor of the series.”
For the role of Captain Teague, a weather-worn pirate who may or may not be Captain Jack’s father, producers indulged Depp’s notion that Sparrow was based on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards by actually casting the leathery rocker in the part. “We’re not sure there is a ‘father’ role in the film. The role was written with Keith in mind. But the part, while small, is pivotal enough that if he wasn’t available, it would have been re-cast.”
Central to the franchise’s success has been Teague’s maybe-offspring, the braggadocio, skittish Sparrow. And despite the opinion of some of his shipmates, the anti-hero of “Pirates” is no sissy. “Jack Sparrow is in no way a coward,” say the writers. “He may take a seemingly cowardly action merely in order to buy time. The secret to the Jack Sparrow character, what makes him powerful, is that the universe is ultimately on his side. Jack knows if he merely survives long enough, eventually the universe will come around and give him an opening. Then he pounces on it.”
Sparrow’s destiny is likely to lie in the open waters; for star-crossed lovers Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, it may be on the altar. “We will say that both characters undergo transformations,” tease Elliott and Rossio. “If you track them across all three movies, those two characters are the ones who change and grow the most.”
And despite Sparrow’s antics, “We’ve always felt Elizabeth is the real protagonist of the films.”
With the players in motion, Elliott and Rossio turned to a crucial element of any summer movie experience: the expensive set pieces. “Whereas ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ had several action sequences on land—the rolling water wheel, the bone cages—the major set pieces of ‘At World’s End’ take place on the ocean.” Expect to see ships in full action mode on water, along with the requisite swashbuckling: One sequence is rumored to take place between Sparrow and Jones on top of a crow’s nest during a storm.
And what of a fourth film? “The final two films are designed to complete a trilogy,” reply the writers. “A third sequel is dependent on too many factors to make any type of guess right now. It’s not impossible to do a fourth film. A lot depends on whether…there is audience desire for more of these.”
If the billion-plus dollars in box-office booty for the first two entries are any indication, our forecast is Captain Jack will be back.
Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio swap sea stories on ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End’
When we last left effeminate, addle-brained Captain Jack Sparrow—portrayed with scenery-munching glee by Johnny Depp—the pirate was presumed trapped in the netherworld of Davy Jones’ Locker, consigned to a fate that involves no end of torture, pathos and a steady diet of ragweed.
While Sparrow may not know his salvation is pending, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio do.
The screenwriting team has penned all three of Disney’s theme-park-turned-blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, including May 25’s “At World’s End.” And even though attempting to siphon hints about the grand finale is like sailing on sand, Wizard still attempted to make the scribes walk the proverbial plank.
As the film opens, with Depp’s Sparrow imprisoned in a wasteland, cohorts “Will [Orlando Bloom] and Elizabeth [Kiera Knightley] arrive in Singapore in their quest to find and rescue him,” offers the duo. (Elizabeth, fans may recall, actually trapped Sparrow on a doomed ship in order to avoid the wrath of the monstrous Kraken.) “The world is suffering at the hands of Lord Cutler Beckett, with Davy Jones on his side. Elizabeth is suffering from guilt, Will from jealousy. And everyone is suffering from the lack of Captain Jack Sparrow.”
In “Dead Man’s Chest,” opposition was around every spin of the compass, with Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) looking to eradicate piracy on the open seas and tentacle-chinned Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who once raised Sparrow’s ship, eager to settle their debt.
For “World’s End,” both Elliott and Russio maintain the villains may not be so easily spotted. “The fun of a pirate movie is to explore moral ambiguity,” they muse. “Each character faces a moment of choice, where their actions could be taken as villainy. Our theme would place the main villain as having selfish pursuits unrestrained by right and wrong. That’s a villain who can appear anywhere, from a pirate to a representative of the law.”
One such ambiguous player is Sao Feng, an Asian pirate portrayed by Chow Yun-Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). “He’s the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea, one of the Nine Pirate Lords that make up the Brethren Court,” explain the pair. He sees the end of the era of piracy coming, he see the final stand coming, and desires only to be on the winning side.”
That goes double for Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), the ghostly apparition that terrorized Depp and company in the first film and returned at the climax of the second to possibly help find Sparrow.
“Geoffrey Rush is our secret weapon,” the scribes proclaim. “His contribution was, we believe, vastly underrated on the first film. His character and his performance very much define the flavor of the series.”
For the role of Captain Teague, a weather-worn pirate who may or may not be Captain Jack’s father, producers indulged Depp’s notion that Sparrow was based on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards by actually casting the leathery rocker in the part. “We’re not sure there is a ‘father’ role in the film. The role was written with Keith in mind. But the part, while small, is pivotal enough that if he wasn’t available, it would have been re-cast.”
Central to the franchise’s success has been Teague’s maybe-offspring, the braggadocio, skittish Sparrow. And despite the opinion of some of his shipmates, the anti-hero of “Pirates” is no sissy. “Jack Sparrow is in no way a coward,” say the writers. “He may take a seemingly cowardly action merely in order to buy time. The secret to the Jack Sparrow character, what makes him powerful, is that the universe is ultimately on his side. Jack knows if he merely survives long enough, eventually the universe will come around and give him an opening. Then he pounces on it.”
Sparrow’s destiny is likely to lie in the open waters; for star-crossed lovers Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, it may be on the altar. “We will say that both characters undergo transformations,” tease Elliott and Rossio. “If you track them across all three movies, those two characters are the ones who change and grow the most.”
And despite Sparrow’s antics, “We’ve always felt Elizabeth is the real protagonist of the films.”
With the players in motion, Elliott and Rossio turned to a crucial element of any summer movie experience: the expensive set pieces. “Whereas ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ had several action sequences on land—the rolling water wheel, the bone cages—the major set pieces of ‘At World’s End’ take place on the ocean.” Expect to see ships in full action mode on water, along with the requisite swashbuckling: One sequence is rumored to take place between Sparrow and Jones on top of a crow’s nest during a storm.
And what of a fourth film? “The final two films are designed to complete a trilogy,” reply the writers. “A third sequel is dependent on too many factors to make any type of guess right now. It’s not impossible to do a fourth film. A lot depends on whether…there is audience desire for more of these.”
If the billion-plus dollars in box-office booty for the first two entries are any indication, our forecast is Captain Jack will be back.
RosieB - May 1, 2007 07:19 AM (GMT)
Rick Heinrichs the Production Designer on AWE talks about the Singapore Set.
:pirates: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Thanks to OBM for the link
:pirates: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Thanks to OBM for the link
| QUOTE |
| BURBANK, California — When last we saw the Pirates of the Caribbean, things weren't looking too good. Captain Jack Sparrow had been swallowed whole by a giant sea monster, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's romance was on the rocks, and the evil Captain Barbossa had once again risen from the dead. But judging from a stunning visit to the set of the third movie, "At World's End," things are about to start looking much, much better (see "Keira Knightley Could Tell You About 'Pirates 3,' But She'd Have To Kill You"). "I think you'll notice right away that we're not in the Caribbean any longer," Rick Heinrichs, the production designer for all three movies, beamed last year from the set, which doubled for Singapore. "We're on the other side of the world." "Welcome to Singapore!" chimed in visual-effects supervisor John Knoll, looking over the small fishing town of cobblestone roads, precarious bridges and wares-selling huts. "This is a set that we spent two-and-a-half months building." The wicker-and-water set is the primary location for "World's End," which sails into theaters May 25. In the film, the pirates travel to Singapore in their quest to find the literal end of the world, save Captain Jack and reclaim the Black Pearl. First, however, they'll need to grapple with Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), the Pirate Lord of Singapore. "It was a lot of fun for us to research and come up with a new way of telling the story of pirates and what a pirate looks like in 1720s Singapore," Heinrichs said. "There's not much documentation about it. It's different shrubberies, Chinese and southeast Asian architecture, and so we came up with this Chinese/Malaysian mélange." "Although we didn't have a direct reference from Singapore in the early part of the 18th century, we did have other stuff from the 19th century, the early 1800s, photographic-type research," Knoll added. "Singapore, anyway, is kind of at a crossroads in Southeast Asia, with many different cultural references. So we have Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese — it's a melting pot." But when most people think pirates, they imagine peg legs, parrots and pointy hats — not rainforests, roundhouse kicks and sticky rice. It goes without saying, then, that the new locale will result in a decidedly different pirate tale. "This set is designed for an action scene right here, when all heck breaks loose," Knoll grinned like a proud papa, looking at the 3-foot-deep water and the narrow bridges hanging over it. "The Chinese pirates, our pirates, and the East India Trading Company troops all converge and fight, and people fall in the water and things get blown up." Looking over at a small shanty, he added: "That's a fireworks hut right there, so I don't even need to tell you what happens to that." The set was reinforced more than any of Knoll and Heinrichs' previous "Pirates" structures, in order to contain the quasi-kung-fu fighting that breaks out when all these enemies engage in their 17th-century Mexican standoff. "We're not doing the Hong Kong high-wire stuff," Heinrichs cautioned. "There's no 'Crouching Tiger,' but we have a lot of Chinese influence in there ... that dictated how the sets were built. ... Our sets were built to withstand quite a bit of violence." Once the sets were constructed, the stars came to play. On the afternoon we visited, director's chairs could be seen for all the major stars except Depp; Keira Knightley and Chow-Yun Fat shot scenes in a closed-off "bathhouse" just a few feet away. But, according to Heinrichs, even the on-set A-listers had stars in their eyes when a rock legend showed up to film his cameo. "Everybody wanted to meet Keith Richards," he remembered. "But there was a policy thing. It would have been a big distraction. Still, everybody was trying to walk past his trailer, and I actually got to shake his hand — the guy is such an icon." Heinrichs didn't get to speak with the Rolling Stones guitarist, but he said that's just as well — because he wouldn't know how to begin the conversation. "I wouldn't really know what to say to him," he shrugged. "When you actually meet a hero, it's a little difficult to just say, 'How's it going there, Keith?' " The production designer was thrilled to create several "period" guitars for Richards to play (including one with a sea turtle's shell) and said that the crew was in awe while watching Johnny Depp and his "dad" play pirates. "They're very talented, these pirates," Heinrichs grinned. |
:pirates:
Jesse - May 5, 2007 08:11 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Orlando Bloom, with two fantasy epics under his sword belt now (his first being "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), found life on the lavish set exhilarating and exhausting. "It gives you a frame of reference," he says. "Puts you in a situation, which is especially important in an action adventure where you might be waiting around for a shot to be set up and then you have to suddenly be very intense and in the moment. Atmosphere is very important. The blue screen is much more … challenging." But physically detailed sets have their drawbacks too; weeks in cavernous gloom or on rain-lashed decks can leave one grateful for things like sunshine and automobiles. "It's incredibly hard work," Bloom says. "In Palmdale, it was raining all the time. We all got sick once or twice. It was brutal. I've spent five years of my life on this, most of my adult life, and it's quite nice to return to the modern world." |
He got sick! :console:
Jesse - May 6, 2007 08:46 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| The Lord Of Rings and Pirates Of The Caribbean; two of the most successful movie franchises of all time, both taking in zillions of dollars at the global box-office and smashing DVD sales records like they were a galleon under a Kraken. Orlando Bloom has played an intergral part in both these blockbusting series - first as elfin archer Legolas in LOTR, and more recently as the dashing Will Turner in Gore Verbinski's Pirates trilogy. As the third and final instalment of the series approaches our screens, Empire caught up with the actor to discuss exactly where you go after a mini-lifetime at sea... Do you think that At World’s End marks the final chapter in the Pirates saga? Yeah, I think this is the end of these movies. It’s definitely the close of this story, this chapter. I mean, they managed to create two movies from the first film. The second movie was paving the way for a third, but this is the end of the series. They can’t extend this particular story - they’ve closed it. But whether they make another Pirates movie or not, I don’t know. At this point, I feel like I’ve been doing Pirates for most of my adult life and I’m really excited about the fact that, for the first time in eight years, I haven’t got to go straight into another movie. I’m really enjoying taking the time to consider what’s next. There’s a lot of different roles out there. Having starred in both Pirates and Lord Of The Rings, would you be quite happy to stay away from trilogies for the rest of your career? Yeah, well my next movie has got to be part of a trilogy and I’ll only do it if I can use a sword and a bow and arrow. And have a blond and brunette with me - one on each side (laughs). Look, I’m an actor and I love to work and I’m not going to turn down anything unless it doesn’t feel right. But I want to find the sort of movies I watch and adore. Movies like Hotel Rwanda, The Last King Of Scotland and The Constant Gardener - movies that shine a light on certain issues and are socially relevant – I’d just love to find stories like that. Do you think your commitment to these movies has hindered your progression as an actor? The commitment to Pirates has been great, but it has been all-consuming and therefore it’s not been easy. I haven’t been free to do whatever I want to do. But I feel great. I know I’m going to work. It’s not a question of ‘am I gonna work?’. It’s a question of what I’m going to do next. Look at Leonardo DiCaprio’s career. After Titanic he became a huge movie star and a pin-up, and it took him three or four movies – The Beach, The Man In The Iron Mask etc – until he began his relationship with Scorsese. It took him a while to find the rhythm of his career. Whether it’s him or whether it’s Johnny [Depp], who has forged a career out of making movies that people deem failures, and yet he’s now unquestionably the biggest movie star in the world and he’s really happy. That took him a while to do and I’m sort of doing it in reverse. I’m very lucky to have these opportunities at such a young age. With choice there comes a responsibility and I just want to take that responsibility seriously. On the flip side, it doesn’t all have to be so serious. It’s not who I am. There’s still an aspect of me that’s Warren Beatty in Shampoo, do you know what I mean? I’m so proud of the body of work that I’m creating and I know that it’s just the beginning. There’s going to be a middle and an end, and I’m excited about the prospect of what to do next. I’m not going to force myself into any corners based on somebody else’s opinion of what I should or shouldn’t be doing. Having worked on these huge films for so long, do you ever get the urge to do a small, British movie? Do you think I’m not trying? I am, believe me. I’ve been talking openly in the press about wanting to make a British film for a while now and I have been sent a few things. But to me what’s most exciting about British movies, the ones that really fly, are those that portray authentic worlds. The Queen felt like an authentic British movie. That’s what translates. I’m looking to do something like that, for sure. You were involved in an episode of Extras of course. How did you find working with Ricky and Stephen? That was fun, man. I sent the script to Johnny before I did it and said, ‘are you cool with this? Because it’s out there...but he loves British humour. He’s done The Fast Show and a few things. It was fun. Ricky Gervais is great. Gore Verbinski is the unsung hero of the Pirates universe. What’s he like as a director? He’s great. I suppose he’s like a big kid. He’s got incredible youthful energy. He’s a bit of a genius in the sense that he can take all these elements, the special effects, the characters, working with the actors, the epic scenery, and yet make it feel like you’re working on a small movie. The way that he shoots it is very from the hip and off the wall, and there’s a madness to his style that certainly lends itself to something like Pirates. How does he compare to Peter Jackson? Well, you know, Pete’s amazing – he’s one of a kind. When Pete made Lord of the Rings, there was nothing like it. He’s got his way of shooting stuff and he’s got a keen eye for getting the shots he wants. He has a real impact. Gore ties everything together and puts a spin on it that I think, particularly for a pirate movie, is quirky, but accessible, and obviously successful in terms of finding an audience. I suppose they’re both similar in the sense that Peter always knew who these characters were and how to shoot them and so does Gore. You’ve just turned 30. Have things changed now you’ve reached the big 3-0? I felt I didn’t need to take myself seriously any more. I felt I was old enough to let it go and just be happy. Part of the experience of working on all these big films is that I ended up feeling slightly shy. And now I’m done with that. I just want to move onto roles that I feel define me as a man, as opposed to a boy. |
I just want to move onto roles that I feel define me as a man, as opposed to a boy.
THAT is what we have all been wishing for a long time. :)
Jesse - May 8, 2007 08:42 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Under a high, hot September sky, Disney Studios has clearly surrendered. Deep in the heart of the back lot, all those striding, BlackBerry-monitoring employees give way to denizens of a different sort. Pirates of every hue, hair configuration and state of personal hygiene. Pirates in velvet, silk and leather. Chinese pirates and African pirates, French pirates and Arab pirates - 150 of them all told, some rock star, some scurvy dog. If, on this scandalously fine autumnday, these particular pirates appear to be milling rather than marauding - lounging about outside Soundstage 2, eating lunch, talking on cellphones - it is just an illusion, a rip between worlds. Reality lies within. Step inside. Many movie sets are disappointing. The cameras, cables and other equipment easily dwarf a house or an apartment, even a hotel, leaving only the smallest nest of space in which the actors must perform. A castle high atop a hill can turn out to be cleverly painted scrims in front of a blue screen. But no one would call the Shipwreck Cove set from "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," opening May 25, disappointing. The third installment in the successful Johnny Depp franchise, "World's End," is, to put it mildly, highly anticipated. The first two have grossed almost $800 million domestically - not bad for a narrative arc based on a theme park ride. Inside a cavernous soundstage (previously flooded and used for the treasure cave and bayou scenes in the first two "Pirates" films), there are, of course, a forest of cameras and monitors, cables and sound equipment and lights, not to mention all the people who work them. There are ships for every sort of pirate, the prows of which cut through the darkness, bedecked with women and dragons, with gilt and barnacles. There are half a dozen full-scale partial models, behind which runs a 300-foot hand-painted background scrim depicting more ships in various sizes and perspectives. In the middle of it all is a great and splendid wreck, the meeting place of the pirate lords and home to Capt. Teague Sparrow, keeper of the Pirates Code, who clearly shares some sort of bloodline - and certainly a stylist - with Depp's Capt. Jack Sparrow. Teague, of course, is played by Keith Richards, who left the building only the previous day. Still on deck are Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush, reprising their roles from the previous films, as well as an alarming assortment of multicultural pirate lords (including a new character played by Chow Yun-Fat). In the light of 500 flickering candles, they discuss pirate matters and make accusations and threatening proclamations, while beneath them floorboards creak, around them costumes rustle and clank, and above them rigging exudes a distinctly tarry odor. Outside the ring of filming, crew members wander by, some with Cap'n Jack pirate locks, a few with "Livin' the ride" T-shirts. An assistant director warns everyone to move away from the metal tubes that stand here and there around the ship. "In a few minutes, those are going to burst into flame," he says. It is a whole other world, mere minutes away from beautiful downtown Burbank, a parallel universe conjured out of wood and foam and paint, where meticulous detail - real cannons bouncing on real wood, real velvet shredded and burned to look ancient - anchor the fantasy and make it real. "We had no idea how well No.2 was going to do," says production designer Rich Heinrichs with a laugh. "If we'd known, we wouldn't have worried quite so much about the budget for 3." Not that anything was done on the cheap. Director Gore Verbinski never wanted a phony extravaganza - he wanted real pirates, real ships, real tempestuous seas (which he got during a famously difficult shoot in the Caribbean). "I've done some big movies in the past," says Chow, who plays a pirate lord, "but walking onto the `Pirates' set was like walking into a ride at Disneyland. Everything was built with so much detail." |
RosieB - May 9, 2007 01:38 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
AICN EXCLUSIVE! Moriarty Visits The Editing Room For PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3: AT WORLD’S END! Last year, at the start of June, I visited the editing room where Gore Verbinski was hard at work trying to finish PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2: DEAD MAN’S CHEST. I got my first look at finished Davy Jones in that room, my first sense of the larger world that the filmmakers were trying to create. I was enthused about what I saw, and I thought the final film was pretty damn fun. I’ve heard a lot of complaining about the second movie, but I absolutely stand behind what I said then: I think these are dense entertainments, and I like the complex juggling routine that Elliott and Rossio have set up for themselves as screenwriters. The ultimate artistic success of this series depends on how this third film plays out. The second film introduced about a half-dozen story threads that have to play out now, and this new movie is all about how those threads are completed. Can this team stick the landing? This year, I met Bruckheimer in the same exact place I met him last year, in one of the mixing theaters on the Fox lot. We talked a bit about what I’d seen of the other summer movies as we walked back to where Stephen Rivkin, the film’s editor, was waiting. I’ve visited Bruckheimer during post several times in this last year, and it’s always the same sort of experience. He’s a gracious host, direct, and I never feel like I’m being hyped. He’s content to just show you the footage and let it speak for itself. He told me that the first bit of footage I’d be seeing would be the opening of the film. And so I saw the first shots of Singapore. Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth, heading into the city in a small boat by herself. Singing. It’s a pirate song, but it’s not one we’ve heard before. Some of the people she paddles past know the song, though. It draws attention. And when she finally pulls up to dock and she gets out, she’s immediately approached by some rough-looking Chinese pirates who warn her about singing that song, especially when traveling alone. She’s not alone, though. In fact, Singapore is positively crawling with other characters from the films. There’s the crew of the Black Pearl, for example. They’re making their way through the underbelly of the city, almost at a parallel to Elizabeth. When she’s dragged into the presence of Sao Feng, played with remarkable charisma by Chow Yun-Fat, she’s not alone. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is there, a prisoner. Barbossa is there. This is basically the Jabba’s Palace/Barge scene from JEDI, but without any shitty musical numbers or Muppets. It’s a nice build-up, a cool way of dropping us back into the world of the films. We can tell that things are changing. The net is closing. It’s the end of an era. And the only way our characters can see to fix things is to get hold of the charts to the end of the world. That’s what Sao Feng has that they want. Deals are made. Double-crosses are set into motion. The actual trip into the afterlife is surreal. I’ve only seen a bit of this, but what I saw is wild, and I’m dying to see the rest of it. Here’s where we get a whole lot of Johnny Depp. I have a feeling this is the closest we’re ever going to get to the heart of what makes Jack Sparrow tick. His rescue is suitably absurd, and the return to the land of the living is positively Gilliam-esque. Yeah. That’s right. I said it. After the return to the world of the living, the crew of the Black Pearl has to get to a meeting that’s been called of all the Pirate Lords. Each of them carries an item with them that is the symbol of their membership in the Pirate Brethren. This is one of the most outrageous sets in the film, at least based on what I saw. This is also where the movie’s primary mystery is laid out: the nature of Calypso. It turns out that there was a time when pirates were afraid to sail the open ocean because they were afraid of Calypso’s fury. Then they found a way to bind her, to make her take on human form, and in doing so, they were able to tame the oceans. Now, with the East Indian Trading Company using the heart of Davy Jones to tighten the net around every single pirate still working, it’s time to consider radical solutions to the problem at hand. Like releasing Calypso and surrendering the oceans without surrendering to the East Indian Trading Company. Which raises the question... who (or what) is Calypso? Of course, that’s not the only thing the film has to accomplish. There’s a reason this one is skirting the three hour mark... they’re going to resolve everything they’ve put into motion, and just like with DEAD MAN’S CHEST and the first film, there’s even a little bit of extra movie at the very, very end after all the credits. Among the many storylines to be resolved, we see Elizabeth deal with both her betrayal of Jack and her relationship with Will. We see Will resolve his attempts to rescue his father Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) from the service of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who is now under the thrall of Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) and Admiral Norrington (Jack Davenport), who are commanding a tremendous naval force that is imposing a new order on the entire world. Even supporting characters like Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) and Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Gibbs (Kevin McNally) and Marty (Martin Klebba) get some degree of resolution. Double crosses are revealed. New deals are made. I was amazed by the scale of this final film in the series. In the hour or so that I was shown from the film, the most amazing stuff by far was from the end of the film. You’ve seen a hint of it in the trailers, with the ships fighting back and forth across a giant whirlpool. That scene starts outrageous and then just keeps getting bigger and bigger and wilder and more insane. There are things going on all over the place, different planes of action and comedy and drama playing out. After watching the footage, I walked with Bruckheimer back to the mixing stage where Gore Verbinski was working. When I saw him last year, he looked exhausted. This year, he had that stare like Private Pyle in FULL METAL JACKET. The screen in the stage played a scene involving Calypso, and I got a pretty long look at who that is and how they finally appear. Verrrrrrry interesting. The volume on that mixing stage was painful, and they just kept playing the same few sound effects over and over. Verbinski made a reference to the Chinese Water Torture, and then we were on the move again, leaving him to it. I asked Bruckheimer if he misses being able to test-screen these movies. He told me that he showed it to a group of friends and family, and that they made some adjustments based on that screening. He says it’s just not possible to finish one of these movies early enough or well enough to show to a test audience. And indeed, when I was there, they were still basically waiting on a set number of shots to be delivered from ILM each and every day. Amazing how close these giant movies come in terms of delivery dates. Even so, as I left the studio, I called my writing partner to talk to him about how anything is possible in movies now. You can pretty much do anything. The old crticism "That's too big, and it's impossible to film" no longer applies. This ending is so bizarre, so bold and audacious that it seems like almost a dare from the writers to Verbinski: "Let's see what you can really do." This certainly isn't a case of a sequel just doing what's been done before in the series. I’m seeing this movie soon. Right now, I’m confident that what we’re getting is a fitting end to this trilogy. I think you have to think of this and DEAD MAN’S CHEST as two parts of a film, then the first part was all set-up and this one is all pay off. At least, that’s what I hope it is. For now, I think this looks like a really satisfying third entry in a series, and about as much bang for the buck as anything any studio’s releasing this year. Thanks to Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer for having me in on this one. |
Thanks to Moriarty for this!
I don't know how much longer I can wait to see this movie :ex: :ex: :ex:
RosieB - May 10, 2007 07:40 AM (GMT)
Again thanks to OBM for the heads up on this great article and interview with Johnny at Emanuel Levy.com :jack: :pirates:
[QUOTE]
Pirates World's End: Johnny Depp's Farewell?
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Geoffrey Rush reunite in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," a new epic in the blockbuster series chronicling the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann.
This time around, the quartet is joined by international superstar Chow Yun-Fat as Captain Sao Feng, the pirate lord of Singapore.
Since the first movie, all the actors have gained stature, popularity, and Oscar nominations too. Johnny Depp is now a two time-Oscar nominee, for the first "Pirate" in 2003, as well as for "Finding Neverland," in which he played "Peter Pan" creator J. M. Barrie.
As Will Turner, British heartthrob Orlando Bloom, has since appeared in the last segment of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which swept the 2003 Oscars, and "Kingdom of Heaven." Young and beautiful Keira Knightley, who returns to the second installment in the role of Elizabeth Swann, was nominated last year for the Best Actress Oscar in "Pride & Prejudice."
But the series belong to the multi-gifted Depp, as the decidedly eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow, caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigues. With the Pirates movies, Depp has instantaneously created an authentic screen icon, embraced by the entire world. Depp, as is know by now, in one of the world's most popular and acclaimed actors, with a hugely versatile range of performances marking his outstanding career.
Captain Jack Sparrow is the only truly iconic screen character to have yet come out of this new millennium. It's a wholly original and thrillingly eccentric creation, conjured by the famous shape-shifter Depp, as the ducking, weaving, highly superstitious pirate captain of dubious morality and personal hygiene. Depp has become the screen anti-hero for a new century of moviegoers.
While most of the actors undergo some changes, Johnny Depp's Captain Jack does not. Director Gore Verbinski and Depp both agreed early on that he has to be exactly who he is, without changes. Even so, knowing what an original actor Depp is, prepare yourselves for some big surprises, including the appearance of Keith Richards, Depp's friend, in a major role.
Casting Keith Richards
One of the burning questions was, who would be chosen as Captain Teague, Keeper of the Code, the "Pirata Codex," to which even the most dastardly scalawag must religiously adhere, at the peril of his own body and soul.
The casting was pre-ordained. For nearly a year, rumors flew hither and yon that it would be none other than Keith Richards, legendary guitarist of the Rolling Stones, and a close mate of Johnny Depp. Depp had modeled some of Captain Jack Sparrow's style and characteristics on his great and good friend. And the rumors, for a change, were true.
Says Richards: "It's about freedom, baby. Open the cage, let the tigers out. Somebody's gotta do the naughty work. It's not so much about destroying the establishment. It's to prevent them from destroying you."
Richards was understandably wary at first of accepting the role of Captain Teague, noting: "When I first heard about it, I was thinking, 'Oh my God, this is an Elvis Presley thing. You pop in and thing. But when I saw how it fit into the whole scenario, then it felt quite natural to do it. And they've also made me a lovely guitar."
Pirates as Rock Stars
Depp: "The sort of connection I made when first thinking about Captain Jack was that idea that pirates were the rock and roll stars of that era. Their myths or legends would arrive months before they would ever make port, much like rock stars."
Strumming the Guitar
Strumming the guitar—especially designed and built for him by the legendary instrument maker Danny Farington at the request of popmaster Kris peck—and wielding a mean flintlock pistol, Richards took the company, and the days on which he filmed, by hurricane force.
Depp recalls: "It was kind of a long shot to even think about getting Keith to do this. The fact that he agreed was above and beyond a dream come true. Experiencing his arrival on set was unbelievable. Every single person on the crew, including people you hadn't seen in months, suddenly showed up. It was a beautiful, perfect symmetry."
Captains Jack and Teague
Depp: There was a unique connection between Captains Jack and Teague. You get the feeling that there was a real tough love relationship there. Teague is one of those pirates who would give you a hug one minute, and blow you away the next. Or maybe he'll blow you away and then give you a hug. You don't know what to expect from him."
Torrential Hurricane
Depp recalls: "The Maelstrom is like the biblical whirlpool from hell, and we're shooting it the way Cecil B. DeMille probably would have. We were running away from hurricanes in the Bahamas, shooting in Dominica during the rainy season in a rain forest, and then we went to the desert, in Palmdale, filming in a torrential downpour and about 75 knots of wind inside of a massive facility on a ship tilted to a 15 percent rake on the gimbal.
"Once again, this is another one of those situations where it's so weird that you just don't question it anymore. 'Johnny, we're going drive you an hour and a half up to the desert, you're going to climb aboard the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman built on gigantic rigs, and we're going to drench you in high winds while you swordfight at a steep angle.' And you just kind of go, 'Okay, fine. No Problem.'"
Will there be Pirates 4
Depp: There's a lot more territory I would love to explore as Captain Jack. I would definitely consider doing another one if all the ingredients are there, like director Gore Verbinski and writer Terry Rossio.
Approach to Acting
Depp: Whether I work from the outside in or inside out depend on the film, on the texture, and sometimes on a particular scene and the substance of the moment, where I want to be. I could also be going from exterior to interior and vice versa within the same scene. I do a little of everything. It's really a mixed bag, like a stew that's made of leftovers.
Inspiration and Starting Point
Depp: Captain Jack was born out of a couple of inspirations, out of the idea but not imitation of Keith Richards and the myth of rock n/ roll, combined with cartoon characters that I really have loved over the years and also experienced by watching with my kiddies—just being a daddy. He was also born out of spending time on the sea, rough sea, where you can't get your balance, and intense heat. I closed myself off in a sauna for a long period to see what effect the heat would have on me. It was most helpful for the way that Captain Jack moves.
Reel Impact
What I set out to do was to try and make Captain Jack appeal to little kids as well as the most hardened adult intellectuals. Perplexed by the success and impact of the first Pirates movie, Depp says: "It is beyond me how such a character has sort of taken root in some people's heart. It's still shocking to me.
Last Day of Shooting
On the last two days of the combined "Dead Man's Chest and "At World's End" shoot, the usual raucous and explosively noisy atmosphere of filming inside the "Site 9" hangar gave way to a hushed, almost cathedral-like mood. Only Johnny Depp was working on those days. The hundreds of extras and stunt players that usually populate the set were taking a day of rest. It was remarkably peaceful and quiet.
On both days, members of the crew had almost confused looks on their faces, as the realization dawned that incredibly, the impending departure of Depp proferred some kind of proof that filming was, incredibly, drawing to an inexorable finale.
"It's not a gig, it's a lifestyle," was a refrain often heard amidst the company. You wake up, you get dressed, you go pirating for 12 to 14 hours a day, and you just keep doing it week after week, month after month, and, for that matter, year after year.
Depp Free to Go
Though Depp completed his last scene at about noon, he was put into a holding pattern until director Verbinski learned whether or not some footage sot the day before has made it cleanly from the camera to the processing in the lab. Six hours later, the word came in that all looked fine. Which meant Johnny Depp was free to leave.
Captain Jack Makes Me Smile
But four years, one month and 8 days after "The Curse of the Black Pearl" first commenced shooting, Depp was not quite sure that he wanted to leave the set. Says Depp: "The possibility of saying goodbye to Captain Jack perhaps forever is one I look forward to. But if that is the case, we had a good run. I know Captain Jack will always make me smile
Intense Pure Joy
Depp: "The Pirates movies have done a lot for me, and in every way you can imagine. But most importantly, what I've felt is this intense, pure joy. Playing this character and delivering this character will always bring a smile to my face, always make me happy and proud."
Farewell Pastry Party
In the hangar, a large pastry, which looked for all the world like the birthday cake for a little boy who's crazy about pirates, replete with toy figures and little ships, was positioned next to the shooting set. It read: Dearest Captain Jack, May Your Compass Always Lead You Back to Us. Thank You."
The group exploded into cheers and applause at Depp's appearance in the hangar. Depp then told his friends and comrades: "I'll be incredibly brief, because I may weep. You guys have made this the most amazing experience in my life, except for having my kids. I'd go to war with any of you."
Hiatus: Can't Say Goodbye
Depp: I'm going to call this a break, or a hiatus, or something…. It's happened to us before, hasn't it? But I don't feel like I can say goodbye, certainly not to to any of you, and not to Captain Jack either. Thanks for the ride."
Thank you, Johnny Depp, for bringing pirates back to Hollywood in a big, personal way! :jack:
[QUOTE]
Pirates World's End: Johnny Depp's Farewell?
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Geoffrey Rush reunite in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," a new epic in the blockbuster series chronicling the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann.
This time around, the quartet is joined by international superstar Chow Yun-Fat as Captain Sao Feng, the pirate lord of Singapore.
Since the first movie, all the actors have gained stature, popularity, and Oscar nominations too. Johnny Depp is now a two time-Oscar nominee, for the first "Pirate" in 2003, as well as for "Finding Neverland," in which he played "Peter Pan" creator J. M. Barrie.
As Will Turner, British heartthrob Orlando Bloom, has since appeared in the last segment of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which swept the 2003 Oscars, and "Kingdom of Heaven." Young and beautiful Keira Knightley, who returns to the second installment in the role of Elizabeth Swann, was nominated last year for the Best Actress Oscar in "Pride & Prejudice."
But the series belong to the multi-gifted Depp, as the decidedly eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow, caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigues. With the Pirates movies, Depp has instantaneously created an authentic screen icon, embraced by the entire world. Depp, as is know by now, in one of the world's most popular and acclaimed actors, with a hugely versatile range of performances marking his outstanding career.
Captain Jack Sparrow is the only truly iconic screen character to have yet come out of this new millennium. It's a wholly original and thrillingly eccentric creation, conjured by the famous shape-shifter Depp, as the ducking, weaving, highly superstitious pirate captain of dubious morality and personal hygiene. Depp has become the screen anti-hero for a new century of moviegoers.
While most of the actors undergo some changes, Johnny Depp's Captain Jack does not. Director Gore Verbinski and Depp both agreed early on that he has to be exactly who he is, without changes. Even so, knowing what an original actor Depp is, prepare yourselves for some big surprises, including the appearance of Keith Richards, Depp's friend, in a major role.
Casting Keith Richards
One of the burning questions was, who would be chosen as Captain Teague, Keeper of the Code, the "Pirata Codex," to which even the most dastardly scalawag must religiously adhere, at the peril of his own body and soul.
The casting was pre-ordained. For nearly a year, rumors flew hither and yon that it would be none other than Keith Richards, legendary guitarist of the Rolling Stones, and a close mate of Johnny Depp. Depp had modeled some of Captain Jack Sparrow's style and characteristics on his great and good friend. And the rumors, for a change, were true.
Says Richards: "It's about freedom, baby. Open the cage, let the tigers out. Somebody's gotta do the naughty work. It's not so much about destroying the establishment. It's to prevent them from destroying you."
Richards was understandably wary at first of accepting the role of Captain Teague, noting: "When I first heard about it, I was thinking, 'Oh my God, this is an Elvis Presley thing. You pop in and thing. But when I saw how it fit into the whole scenario, then it felt quite natural to do it. And they've also made me a lovely guitar."
Pirates as Rock Stars
Depp: "The sort of connection I made when first thinking about Captain Jack was that idea that pirates were the rock and roll stars of that era. Their myths or legends would arrive months before they would ever make port, much like rock stars."
Strumming the Guitar
Strumming the guitar—especially designed and built for him by the legendary instrument maker Danny Farington at the request of popmaster Kris peck—and wielding a mean flintlock pistol, Richards took the company, and the days on which he filmed, by hurricane force.
Depp recalls: "It was kind of a long shot to even think about getting Keith to do this. The fact that he agreed was above and beyond a dream come true. Experiencing his arrival on set was unbelievable. Every single person on the crew, including people you hadn't seen in months, suddenly showed up. It was a beautiful, perfect symmetry."
Captains Jack and Teague
Depp: There was a unique connection between Captains Jack and Teague. You get the feeling that there was a real tough love relationship there. Teague is one of those pirates who would give you a hug one minute, and blow you away the next. Or maybe he'll blow you away and then give you a hug. You don't know what to expect from him."
Torrential Hurricane
Depp recalls: "The Maelstrom is like the biblical whirlpool from hell, and we're shooting it the way Cecil B. DeMille probably would have. We were running away from hurricanes in the Bahamas, shooting in Dominica during the rainy season in a rain forest, and then we went to the desert, in Palmdale, filming in a torrential downpour and about 75 knots of wind inside of a massive facility on a ship tilted to a 15 percent rake on the gimbal.
"Once again, this is another one of those situations where it's so weird that you just don't question it anymore. 'Johnny, we're going drive you an hour and a half up to the desert, you're going to climb aboard the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman built on gigantic rigs, and we're going to drench you in high winds while you swordfight at a steep angle.' And you just kind of go, 'Okay, fine. No Problem.'"
Will there be Pirates 4
Depp: There's a lot more territory I would love to explore as Captain Jack. I would definitely consider doing another one if all the ingredients are there, like director Gore Verbinski and writer Terry Rossio.
Approach to Acting
Depp: Whether I work from the outside in or inside out depend on the film, on the texture, and sometimes on a particular scene and the substance of the moment, where I want to be. I could also be going from exterior to interior and vice versa within the same scene. I do a little of everything. It's really a mixed bag, like a stew that's made of leftovers.
Inspiration and Starting Point
Depp: Captain Jack was born out of a couple of inspirations, out of the idea but not imitation of Keith Richards and the myth of rock n/ roll, combined with cartoon characters that I really have loved over the years and also experienced by watching with my kiddies—just being a daddy. He was also born out of spending time on the sea, rough sea, where you can't get your balance, and intense heat. I closed myself off in a sauna for a long period to see what effect the heat would have on me. It was most helpful for the way that Captain Jack moves.
Reel Impact
What I set out to do was to try and make Captain Jack appeal to little kids as well as the most hardened adult intellectuals. Perplexed by the success and impact of the first Pirates movie, Depp says: "It is beyond me how such a character has sort of taken root in some people's heart. It's still shocking to me.
Last Day of Shooting
On the last two days of the combined "Dead Man's Chest and "At World's End" shoot, the usual raucous and explosively noisy atmosphere of filming inside the "Site 9" hangar gave way to a hushed, almost cathedral-like mood. Only Johnny Depp was working on those days. The hundreds of extras and stunt players that usually populate the set were taking a day of rest. It was remarkably peaceful and quiet.
On both days, members of the crew had almost confused looks on their faces, as the realization dawned that incredibly, the impending departure of Depp proferred some kind of proof that filming was, incredibly, drawing to an inexorable finale.
"It's not a gig, it's a lifestyle," was a refrain often heard amidst the company. You wake up, you get dressed, you go pirating for 12 to 14 hours a day, and you just keep doing it week after week, month after month, and, for that matter, year after year.
Depp Free to Go
Though Depp completed his last scene at about noon, he was put into a holding pattern until director Verbinski learned whether or not some footage sot the day before has made it cleanly from the camera to the processing in the lab. Six hours later, the word came in that all looked fine. Which meant Johnny Depp was free to leave.
Captain Jack Makes Me Smile
But four years, one month and 8 days after "The Curse of the Black Pearl" first commenced shooting, Depp was not quite sure that he wanted to leave the set. Says Depp: "The possibility of saying goodbye to Captain Jack perhaps forever is one I look forward to. But if that is the case, we had a good run. I know Captain Jack will always make me smile
Intense Pure Joy
Depp: "The Pirates movies have done a lot for me, and in every way you can imagine. But most importantly, what I've felt is this intense, pure joy. Playing this character and delivering this character will always bring a smile to my face, always make me happy and proud."
Farewell Pastry Party
In the hangar, a large pastry, which looked for all the world like the birthday cake for a little boy who's crazy about pirates, replete with toy figures and little ships, was positioned next to the shooting set. It read: Dearest Captain Jack, May Your Compass Always Lead You Back to Us. Thank You."
The group exploded into cheers and applause at Depp's appearance in the hangar. Depp then told his friends and comrades: "I'll be incredibly brief, because I may weep. You guys have made this the most amazing experience in my life, except for having my kids. I'd go to war with any of you."
Hiatus: Can't Say Goodbye
Depp: I'm going to call this a break, or a hiatus, or something…. It's happened to us before, hasn't it? But I don't feel like I can say goodbye, certainly not to to any of you, and not to Captain Jack either. Thanks for the ride."
Thank you, Johnny Depp, for bringing pirates back to Hollywood in a big, personal way! :jack:
RosieB - May 11, 2007 07:57 AM (GMT)
Thanks to Babyjane at OLove for this interview from Hotpress
| QUOTE |
| Wispy hearthrob Orlando Bloom is ready to leave behind bubblegum block-busters to embrace meatier roles. But will Hollywood grant his wish? Today, once he has finished with the ladies and gentlemen of the press, Orlando Bloom will find himself at a loose end. And he, for one, couldn’t look happier about it. “For the first time in eight years, I’m not moving straight into another movie,” he says. “I’m really excited about that. For once, I can think about what I want my real life to be like.” He’s already in holiday form. Staring out the window of the Mandarin Hotel, he gestures toward nearby Regent’s Park where a friend is walking his precious dog Sidi. “I told him once around the lake then back again,” he smiles wistfully. The lucky canine, a stray found during the filming of Kingdom Of Heaven, is – given his on-off relationship with Kate Bosworth – the 30-year-old star’s most constant companion. “I have to bring him everywhere,” he says. “I don’t like him flying for 12 hours but I love having him around. And he’s used to jetting around by now.” There is something endearingly not-quite-grown-up about Orlando Bloom. He’s a boy with a dog. His cheekbones would sit easily in McFly or their modern day equivalent. He’s suited to playing fairy-folk. I suddenly remember two years ago when he couldn’t make it to the London interviews for Elizabethtown, his mum dropped off homemade fanzines for the press. It was really sweet, though it makes you wonder if he still gets packed lunches. That boyishness is, of course, an essential component of the Bloom appeal. Google his name and you’ll find a million internet shrines maintained by adoring teenage girls. These keen Orlandologists seem to know every meaningless detail. He has three A-levels and is mildly dyslexic. His favourite vegetable is spinach. His cousin, the photographer/director Sebastian Copeland, is Brigitte Nielsen’s ex-husband. And so on. Mr. Bloom, however, is keen to edge away from the factoid gathering hordes. “I don’t concern myself with that stuff,” he says, shifting slightly with embarrassment. “I want to be other things. You have to look at Leonardo DiCaprio. After Titanic, he’s a pin-up all over the world. It took him a couple of roles but he found a place he was comfortable in. And then he developed the relationship with Scorsese and really took off as an actor. He’s a great guy and we’ve talked about this. Like that, I’m told I’m a pin-up guy so then people think maybe that’s all I’m capable of.” I wonder if he’s also sought advice from Johnny Depp, his Pirates Of The Caribbean co-star and another noted teen-idol survivor. “Oh yeah,” he says. “Johnny has made a career out of making movies that were considered failures but he’s still the biggest movie star in the world. But it’s like I’m his opposite in some ways. He waits until later on to become huge. With me, I’m a movie star right out of school. It’s time I did some small, socially aware projects.” Try as he may, Mr. Bloom seems unable to extricate himself from big hitters at the box-office. While still attending the Guildford school of Music and Drama, he landed a small role as a rent boy in the 1997 film Wilde. That was nothing. Shortly after graduating in 1999, Bloom was cast as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings. Since then, he’s chalked up two swords-and-sandals extravaganzas (Kingdom Of Heaven and Troy) and wandered into a second trilogy. “We made one Pirates Of The Caribbean movie and they spun it out to three,” he says. “I feel like I’ve been doing a pirate movie for most of my adult life.” Pirates Of The Caribbean; At World’s End, the final part of the trilogy, hits cinemas later this month. It’s hard to imagine that Orlando Bloom won’t have another monster hit on his hands. Between them the previous films have grossed $1.6 billion, making him the only actor to appear in two out of the three movies that crossed the billion mark. “The commitment has been great – all-consuming,” he says. “You’re not free. But this is the end of the trilogy. Well, I think it’s the close of a particular chapter. They won’t be extending this story. It’s definitely done.” He checks his relish for forthcoming leisure time. “I’ve been very, very lucky to be involved,” he adds. It’s certainly true that Orlando Bloom has been lucky both professionally and personally. In 1998, he broke his back in a three-story fall, and it was feared that he would never walk again. “When they said I mightn’t walk I just thought ‘no’,” he tells me. “That’s somebody else. But it’s not me. I was trying to get onto a roof terrace. It was really dumb. But I had this pretty miraculous recovery. I walked out of there on crutches after twelve weeks. That’s why I don’t take things too seriously. By rights, I should be in a wheelchair.” Is that when he got into Buddhism, I wonder? “No, that was before,” he says. “A guy introduced me when I was 17 and I thought it made a lot of sense. It works in my life. There’s a lot to learn but there’s no question mark over it in my mind.” If, however, we take his turn in Ricky Gervais’ Extras at face value, then he’s a narcissistic poseur obsessed with Johnny Depp. Is that any way to get to the Noble Eightfold Path? “I know,” says Orlando. “Before I said ‘yes’ I sent the script to Johnny and asked him, 'Are you okay with this?' He loved it. He’s really into British comedy. He’s appeared on The Fast Show and stuff. So he thought it was a work of genius.” So what next for the young gentleman with time on his hands? “I’m an actor, so I love working,” he says. “But I’d love to do something really meaningful like The Last King Of Scotland or Hotel Rwanda or The Constant Gardener. I don’t want to start talking all actor-y like I have my head up my arse. I also like doing things with irreverence. There’s an aspect of me that’s just like Warren Beatty in Shampoo.” Then he laughs. “But I bet the next movie I do will end up being a trilogy. With bows and arrows and swords.” Pirates Of The Caribbean 3: At World’s End is released May 24. |
An obvious mistake with 'Guildford instead of Guildhall School of Music & Drama but quite a sweet interview and I love the part about Sidi :lol: I miss Sidi - we haven't seen him for ages!
RosieB - May 14, 2007 09:02 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Captain Jack's last treasure Will Johnny Depp escape Davy Jones's locker? Ian Nathan goes aboard the set of the final instalment of Disney's money-spinning Pirates of the Caribbean franchise Published: 11 May 2007 Through a small side-door, minding the spools of power cables and low-hanging beams, then down a flight of stone steps, can be found Singapore, circa 1720... the Pirates of the Caribbean version of Singapore, that is. Built on a studio sound-stage in sun-baked Los Angeles,, the place feels authentically humid. A stone quay leads to a labyrinth of rickety houses built on stilts, joined by a series of spindly bridges. At one end is a bathhouse which, intermittently explodes, emitting smoke, debris and a flood of strange individuals including Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush. Gore Verbinski laughs, stepping out from behind a bank of monitors. For a director contending with a £150m (according to industry sources) movie, it is admirable that he can still see the ironic side of things. "What madman would attempt that?" Then again, the 43-year-old, of Polish extraction but born and bred in Tennessee, has been shooting the two sequels to the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, often mixing the strands from day to day, over two and half years. Currently things are, to some extent, a bit easier (although no one will admit it). The second film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, has passed through its run from cinema to DVD to become a £500m hit. In the meantime, the thousands of cast and crew have reunited for a further three months. Thus we're in Singapore, where events will reconvene for the opening scene of At World's End, the third and final part in the trilogy. "These two films come 10 months apart, and that is the reality," continues Verbinski, ignoring the bustle of technicians re-rigging explosives. "Your enemy isn't politics or your clout with a studio. Your enemy as director is just having it ready by a certain date." That this whole Pirates madness, a seemingly foolish gambit to turn a Disney theme-park ride into an old-fashioned swashbuckling romp, as piloted by mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Johnny Depp, has become a phenomenon, just adds to the pressure ("expectation can kill you," admits Bruckheimer later). For one thing, only a year after the sequel, how do you keep all this messing about in ships fresh for an audience which has got used to the Jack Sparrow joke? "Well, it helps that you're finishing things," says Verbinski, aware that Dead Man's Chest suffered for staying in the water too long - it became bloated and wrinkly. "It would be a mistake to just try and glob on more gratuitous action, so there is a kind of purposeful step to the left here. We've got to get our characters going again... That is what is going to make it fresh. We are not just trying to outdo Dead Man's Chest, but turn it on its head." Chief to Verbinski's thinking, and that of his writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, as well as Depp, who has a large creative input, the third part needs to provide more folk for Jack to "rub up against". "If you just made the Johnny Depp movie, it's just too much of one flavour," explains the director, who has had as much to do with |