Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 05:02:01 GMT

Lucky thing that the production did get through.. Because if it really was cancelled.. OMG, they wouldn't have had this huge franchise to profit from, and I couldn't be so syched and excited about it all! I'm 100%, definitely going to see "Pirates" on opening day!

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 07:43:18 GMT

Great article, Jim- it's my favorite kind!

I've read "DisneyWar", but I forgot about that part...it's a good thing that Gore & his crew kept on working...a very good thing. Would "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Aztec Gold" not have inticed people to see the movie? To be honest, who went to see POTC:TCotBP because of the title? I think the trailers sent most people to the theaters.

And, I can't wait for Monday's article- Johnny Depp made Captain Jack Sparrow. I can't imagine anyone else being him. Would Matthew McConaughey have been wearing all that makeup and "stuff"? I just don't see that. I like him, but I just can't see that. I mean, that's just going on the physical (which I usually do like about McC.)...I think maybe he could pull off "flamboyent pirate"...but, ultimately, Disney made a great choice with Johnny Depp.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 09:12:40 GMT

I'm normally first in line to take a whack at Eisner, but I gotta tell ya ... I wholeheartedly agreed with him when I first heard they were going to make this movie.

I can't say as I blame him ... upfront, it seemed like it had "BOMB" written all over it.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 09:38:03 GMT

Of course Eisner was scared...Country Bears and Haunted Mansion both show how "theme park" movies can be done wrong.

Verbinski & Bruckhiemer knew they had a good thing going, and figured they could sell it to another studio if Disney backed out... now ewouldn't that have been amusing, Universal Pictures releases "Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of Micro-Management". The Universal could have put an attraction in their theme parks.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 09:49:38 GMT

Christopher Walkin was also considered for the role. And Johnny Depp was almost pulled off set for being a 'gay pirate'. They didnt like his depiction of ole Capt. Jack.

Ok no more fun from me. Seriously though Jim, couldnt you give us some info that cant be found on the internet, or in various POTC books?

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:12:40 GMT

If it had been another actor, Jack Sparrow wouldn't have been flamboyant. That part of the character came from Depp

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 12:55:19 GMT

Even if some of this info is floating around on the net or in some books, greenskyp, I still think it's a great read! After all, these sort of nuggets are way more fun when you just "discover" them, rather than when you're actually seeking them out (or paying for them by buying books, haha). Thanks a bunch Jim! And I'm SO glad Matthew McConaughey didn't get the part. Nothing against him, he's great in certain roles, but I think his rascally charm and Southern accent-- his best roles I feel are when he leans on those, not masking it-- would have distracted from the Pirate-y setting. Plus, he's constantly rippin his shirt open. Not exactly what we need from Captain Jack!

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:07:59 GMT

Excellent "Why For" Jim. Looking forward to the follow up articles.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:29:25 GMT

One of the reasons "The Country Bears" bombed HAD to be the godawful ugly bear suits the Jim Henson people concocted. My family and I LOVED "The Country Bear Jamboree" at WDW and would have gone to a movie based on it - IF the bears in the movie had in any way resembled the bears at the park. But no, they didn't look Disneylike, they looked Hensonlike, which means ugly (all Henson's "realistic" puppetry looks awful, like the Dinosaurs. Miss Piggy might be cute, but not Earl Sinclair. Gross!)

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:10:15 GMT

Personally, I think that sucks. I know I am not the only one who was a little disapointed that the movie didn't feature more reference to the ride. That scene with the boat and the waterfall would have been golden. What's the big deal?

Ironicly, now the ride is being altered to reflect the movie. Even the sign at the entrance of the ride has been changes to look more like the movie logo.

I call foul on that... The movie should be the movie... and the ride should be the ride. The ride came first... and the movie should have been more of a tribute to that rather than the other way arround after the fact. While I love the movies and the ride ... it is titled Pirates of the Caribbean... not PIRATE of the Caribbean.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:16:45 GMT

Hahahaha! That pic is hilarious...

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:04:14 GMT

Also, to Gigglesock-- I agree partially to what you are saying. I do agree that the Henson Company should have sculpted the bears to look like the ride characters...that's why I loved the ride so much ---Marc Davis' characters are amazingly lovable and endearing--but the movies bears were laughable--in a bad way.

BUT!!! Henson's Country Bears Design is merely a fluke (with a little fault from Disney not staying true to the actual ride designs) --and I loved the way DINOSAURS looked-- it was compleetly different from anything I had seen on a TV show. those suits were awesome from Earl's pal Roy the T-Rex to Fran's brontosaurus girlfriend who would stick her head in the window. To add, even if you ignore that you have Ludo and Hoggle to look at from "Labyrinth" alongside the Skeksies Olgra and the characters, in " The Dark Crystal"... you can't pass a statement like that until you've seen an original Jim Henson series that shows excellent displays of Henson animatronics in action-- I'm talking about "The Storyteller" --

If you have never seen "The Storyteller" I encourage you to BUY IT NOW or at least YouTube it! I don't mean to sound rude but this series a masterpiece when it comes toa display of modern puppetry-- particularly the episode entitled, "The soldier and Death"... The demons the soldier plays cards with in that episode are so stunning and ell orchestrated that I can't help but smile everytime I see them!

So please, I encourage everyone to take a look at "The StoryTeller" Then pass judgement and tell me you hate Henson's design-- I won't even talk about the first live action "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Movie or "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"...

So again, I think Country Bears was a fluke-- and if Disney had instructed The jim Henson Company to stay true to the designs I think the movie would have been more successful... Ultimatley I think it was disney's fault not staying true to the Nostalgia--

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:29:22 GMT

Jim, I'm a relative newcomer to your blog, but articles like these are wonderful! Thanks!

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:30:43 GMT

So, the same man who tried to dump "Lost" because he thought that after the pilot episode no one would watch it also almost dumped "Pirates of The Caribbean" because he thought people would think it was silly. Is there any question how out-of-touch Eisner had gotten with his audience?

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 19:38:14 GMT

perrybw: Now picture the fact that he's not there anymore. Makes you wonder how many ideas Eisner permanently pulled the plug on, and which of those would have gone big. Hopefully Iger has a little more sense.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Fri, 18 May 2007 20:30:26 GMT

CEO's get the best of both worlds - Eisner doesn't know how to write, develop, produce, direct, or act but he will willingly take the credit and bonus. It's so far removed from the studio it used to be. I'm still waiting for someone to say "Eisner inspired me," or "I just wanted to do my best for Eisner," like they would about Walt. Lassetter will be the first to tell you he's not Walt, but it's clear he's such a huge improvement over the Standard Corporate Uninformed Mindset. (initials)

As to Capt Jack - Hugh Grant would have had an underlying vulnerability, Hugh Laurie from "House" could spit through the lines, Alan Rickman can handle bravado, and Kenneth Branagh could have played it in his sleep. From America, Kevin Kline or Tim Curry would have been great, but would have constantly been compared to their Penzance days. Walken has already made many many roles memorable through his unique line readings, and certainly could have made Capt Jack his own.

The movies are fun, a breath of fresh air, a return to crowd-pleasing Disney movies, but If you really want to impress me with these movies - bring in a good editor and knock down the running time.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Sat, 19 May 2007 01:27:04 GMT

Baxter, I am not one of those Muppet semi-fans who blame Disney for every dumb move the Henson people have done. In fact, sometimes I think Disney trusts the Henson people a little too much. Otherwise I doubt we'd have gotten nipple jokes in "Muppets Wizard of Oz".

As for the Storyteller, I have seen a few of those, and while they are indeed technically proficient, they include some of the dull drab dank monochromatic ugliness seen in most of Henson's non-Muppet fantasy projects. Sorry, but I like my fantasy lands to have color and likeable characters, as per the MGM version of "Oz". The Henson-produced fantasy lands make me think of mold and mildew. But that's just me. To each his own.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Sat, 19 May 2007 05:20:47 GMT

curmudgeon said:

"Eisner doesn't know how to write [..]"

Correction: he actually does, or at least did.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Sat, 19 May 2007 07:35:16 GMT

curmudgeon: Ha, I LOVED your suggestions for "alternate" Captain Jack's! But, of course, Tim Curry as a pirate might be a little too repetative of his "Muppet Treasure Island" role. I would have loved seeing Kenneth Branagh play the part; if you ever want to see a refreshing movie of his, I reccoment "5 Children & It", another Henson release [though I am partial to Gilderoy Lockhart... ha!]

Jim - thanks for the great article - the "what if...?" stories always fascinate me.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Sat, 19 May 2007 12:34:11 GMT

For all the comments about how the bears looked in COUNTRY BEARS I am frankly amazed that nobody questioned the story--a talking bear raised by a human family that can pass as human to everyone but his brother?!? As Bill the Cat says--ACK!

The trailer was what turned me off the most and insured I would never want to see this load of hooey. Frankly, I thought the bears looked fine when they were on their own, but the inclusion of humans turned it all into one big stupid mess.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Sun, 20 May 2007 01:10:46 GMT

I'm with Rluke1971, I would have loved to see more references to the ride. I guess my family's pretty dorky, because all of us twenty-somethings were so excited when we heard that Pirates and Haunted Mansion were being made into movies. We couldn't wait to see them because we loved the rides. Haunted Mansion was such a disappointment. That could have been so good. I love the Pirates movies though, even though they don't have much to do with the ride. I can't wait to see the new one. And great article, these are the ones I love too!

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Sun, 20 May 2007 18:47:24 GMT

Even when he was still at Paramount Eisner couldn't always recognize something with hit written all over it. It was Katzenberg who saw the potential in Star Trek, after noticing the phenomenon of fan conventions surrounding that former TV show. When he brought the idea of doing a movie based on Star Trek to Eisner, he was told there'd be virtually nobody interested in seeing it, therefore Paramount was not going to pursue such folly. Katzenberg really believed otherwise and fought to get the idea greenlit. The original "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" did terrific box office, spawned a series of sequels and ultimately, "Star Trek - The Next Generation" TV series. For years it was the biggest franchise Paramount had going. It doesn't surprise me that Eisner nearly nixed "Pirates..."

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Mon, 21 May 2007 03:27:48 GMT

Rudy> It's also a movie where a tween becomes a member of a washed up 70s band after revitalizing them. It's like one of those Disney Channel stars joining the Eagles or something.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:18:39 GMT

Cut Eisner slack. He had to look at the real possibility of losing an awful lot of money on the production of "Pirates". Box Office history was certainly against it. But give him credit for being able to be convinced. Others might not have allowed themselves to be swayed with that much money being put up. (As for other projects that he might have axed, they obviously didn't have what it took to convince him, so rightly died.)

As for the title, that was a brilliant move. It was mostly ignored on initial release, but allowed for the further subtitles later. I, for one, am sick to death of "This Movie II" and "That Movie 3". The subtitles are much more fun.

re: Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002 ?

Jim Hill — Mon, 21 May 2007 16:23:44 GMT

Matthew McConaughey....? WTF

They've might as well casted Tommy Chong for the role of Captain Barbossa.

Actually.... hmm.

AWESOME!

Monday Mouse Watch : Will the Lone Ranger ride again for Walt Disney Pictures in 2010 ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 29 May 2007 01:26:09 GMT

Never mind about this year's summer blockbusters. Jim Hill's already looking three years down the road to when Mickey (with the help of several key members of the "Pirates" creative team) will reportedly be releasing a $100-million-plus Western that will