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Wednesday, November 4
As long ago as March 2008, there was news that Jerry Bruckheimer was producing a live-action Lone Ranger movie and that Pirates of the Caribbean writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were working on the screenplay. Not much else was heard of the project until rumors started circulating in May of this year that Jack Sparrow, himself, Johnny Depp, would be starring in the film as Tonto, the Ranger's Native American partner.
In September, during a huge Walt Disney Pictures media blitz, Depp was officially announced to play Tonto. Recently, in a group interview in Santa Monica, Bruckheimer said that the project is still moving forward.
Elliot and Rossio worked on that also with some other writers and with Johnny. So they're creating something that has a kind of true-to-the-western [feel], but adding other additional elements like we did with Pirates so it won't be just a straight-ahead western.
According to some reports, the "additional elements" that Bruckheimer refers to may be the inclusion of some supernatural elements to the story, much in the same way Pirates incorporated historical and fantastical elements.
As for who will play the title role of the Lone Ranger, Bruckheimer said that it's still up in the air.
We're still creating a pretty wide net and figuring it out. It comes down to who is available when we want to make it. We have a wish list.
Posted 11/4/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Jerry Bruckheimer | Johnny Depp | Ted Elliott | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Terry Rossio | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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Tuesday, September 29
Only one week after Johnny Depp appeared in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume at Walt Disney's D23 Expo, Dick Cook, the man who brought Depp aboard and supported his imaginative portrayal of Sparrow, suddenly left Disney. Depp was deeply affected by Cook's departure and said that there was a "crack" in his enthusiasm to reprise the role.
Depp's statements quickly made the rounds, igniting a flurry of debate and speculation over whether he would actually be returning as Captain Jack in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. However, according to Cinema Blend, a Disney representative has confirmed Depp's participation in the fourth installment of the popular franchise.
Posted 9/29/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Pirates of the Caribbean 4
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Saturday, September 19
Just last week at Disney's D23 Expo, actor Johnny Depp appeared on stage in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume and persona to help announce the next sequel in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. However, with the sudden departure of Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook this past week, Depp has admitted to feeling less enthusiastic about reprising the Pirates role because of his strong working relationship with Cook.
Depp said that he was "in" on the first movie "before there was a script or anything" after he had a conversation with Cook about the project. Depp also credited Cook with being "supportive" of his portrayal of Jack Sparrow when he was first formulating the character.
When things went a little sideways on the first Pirates movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. He trusted me.
Now that Cook is gone from Disney, Depp admitted to losing more than just a friend at the studio; he's lost some of his motivation to return to the role.
There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment. It was all born in [Dick Cook's] office.
Depp went on to say that Cook was "a rare beast" and that he is confident they will work together again in the future.
He will be somewhere and I will always look forward to working with him. I consider Dick a friend inside an insane system. He's someone I understand and I think he understands me.
Posted 9/19/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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Friday, September 11
Actor Johnny Depp hovered near the top of the list of Hollywood leading men for years, but it wasn't until his blockbuster portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean that he became a worldwide superstar. Now, his character is so linked with the franchise, it would be hard to imagine a Pirates movie without him. Thankfully, Depp's return to the role is no longer a concern, at least for one more movie.
In a rare public appearance in costume, Depp sailed into Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, to help announce that the fourth installment in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, was beginning production and that he would be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow. The film is slated for a summer 2011 release.
Posted 9/11/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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Wednesday, March 18
Wait, doesn't Keira Knightley love wearing corsets? Not enough to do another Pirates of the Caribbean says the actress:
[Pirates] was a completely fantastic experience, and it was an amazingly large portion of my life, but I don't think I need to go there again. I think that it's done. But I'm very excited to see the next one. And [Johnny Depp] is sowonderful in that character. I think it'll be wonderful.
Depp is indeed confirmed for Pirates 4. Surprisingly, Knightley's next project, The Edge of Love, which opens in the U.S. on March 20, is a real change of pace for the actress, as it is set during World War II and not the 18th century. No word on whether she will wear a corset.
Posted 3/18/2009 by Ryan
Related: Johnny Depp | Keira Knightley | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | The Edge of Love
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Tuesday, December 4
The summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End debuts on DVD today, just in time for the holidays. Also arriving on DVD are Scarlett Johansson's comedy The Nanny Diaries, Ethan Hawke's directorial effort The Hottest State and the wildlife documentary Arctic Tale.
Our pick for this week is a no-brainer: Superbad, Greg Mottola's uproarious teen sex comedy. We recommend the 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition, featuring another stellar package of special features from the Judd Apatow gang.
Posted 12/4/2007 by reelz
Related: The Nanny Diaries | Superbad | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | An Arctic Tale | Walk Hard
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Monday, June 4
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End topped the weekend box office for the second week in a row, raking in $43 million and easily fending off newcomers Knocked Up and Mr. Brooks, boxofficemojo.com reports.
The news wasn't all good for At World's End, however, as the flick's overall gross, $216 million, fell well short of the blistering pace set by its predecessor, last year's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which took in $258 million over the same time span.
Though it failed to sink Pirates, Knocked Up still enjoyed an impressive opening weekend. Its $29 million take surpassed that of Judd Apatow's previous R-rated comedy, The 40 Year-Old-Virgin, by over $8 million. Buoyed by strong word of mouth, Virgin went on to top the $100 million mark. Expect Knocked Up to do the same. (Don't believe me? Check out Heather's review.)
Look for things to get really interesting at the box office this Friday, when Surf's Up, Ocean's Thirteen and Hostel II arrive in theaters.
Posted 6/4/2007 by reelz
Related: Mr. Brooks | Knocked Up | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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Tuesday, May 29
Video game fanatics will soon have one more reason to avoid leaving the house, as Disney is readying a Pirates of the Caribbean online game for a summer release, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online will join the burgeoning "massively multiplayer online role-playing game" (MMORPG for short) genre, led currently by the insanely popular World of Warcraft, which charges gamers $14.99 a month to do battle with other gamers in its Dungeons & Dragons-esque universe.
According to THR, Disney envisions Pirates Online as "a virtual world in which players build their own stylized characters, form pirate communities and embark on ship- and land-based treasure hunts."
The game is currently in Beta testing; Disney has yet to set an official launch date.
Posted 5/29/2007 by reelz
Related: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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As expected, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End dominated the weekend box office, scoring $142.1 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, boxofficemojo.com reports. The take was the biggest Memorial Day opening ever, but still fell short of Spider-Man 3's staggering 3-day $151 million take just three weeks ago.
Some industry insiders speculate that the third Pirates might have done substantially better if it weren't for the fact that Keith Richards, who portrays Captain Jack's Papa in the movie, smoked a large portion of the receipts.
Shrek the Third held strong in second place with $69 million while Spidey 3's $18 million took third, bringing the web slinger's box office tally to a staggering $806 million worldwide.
Posted 5/29/2007 by reelz
Related: Keith Richards | Shrek the Third | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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Friday, May 25
Look for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End to easily displace Shrek the Third atop the box office this weekend, with William Friedkin's creepy thriller Bug the only major new release standing in the way of the Disney juggernaut.
Check out our reviews of this weekend's new releases:
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 
"I found this movie supremely entertaining, even if I didn't always know what was going on. The action is relentless and the effects are extraordinary." [Full Review]
Bug 
"Trippy, weird and intoxicating. I went into Bug expecting to be bored by the standard slasher fare, but instead found myself completely engaged. " [Full Review]
Also opening this week: Angel-A, The Golden Door and Paprika.
Posted 5/25/2007 by reelz
Related: Bug | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End