“On Stranger Tides” will attempt to recapture the fun & adventure of Disney’s first “Pirates” picture

Jim Hill

14 years ago

By now, you have to have seen the trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." (And if not … Well, here it is then) …

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_9A-cUEJc]

And ever since this first popped up on the Web last week, I've been getting all sorts of e-mail from "Pirates" fans who now have questions about this Robert Marshall film. Like – for example – why is Captain Barbossa now dressed in a British naval uniform …

… and saying things like "Are we not King's men?"

For the answer to that question …

WARNING !! There be spoilers ahead. And if you don't want to know about some of the new characters that will be folded into Disney's "Pirates" franchise with "On Stranger Tides" and/or learn about some of the key plot points for this new Jerry Bruckheimer production, I'd suggest that you bail out now.

Still here? Okay. Then proceed at your own peril

… you might want to Google the term "privateer." Which will then explain how Hector could wind up working with someone like Lt. Theodore Groves. Who all of you "Curse of the Black Pearl" fans will most likely recognize as Commodore James Norrington's second-in-command.

(L to R) Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally and Greg Ellis in "Pirates
of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Anyway … As to what Captain Jack Sparrow is doing in London, some of that info can be gleaned by carefully reading the captions which accompanied those official "On Stranger Tides" images that Walt Disney Pictures released last week. Take – for example – this shot …

Photo by Peter Mountain. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

… which shows Captain Jack being dragged by Royal Guards through the entrance hall of St. James Palace on his way to a forced audience with King George.

So how does Sparrow's meeting with his Royal Majesty go? Well, judging by the caption that accompanied this shot …

… Captain Jack was able to escape from the clutches of King George and his Royal Guards by leaping from carriage to carriage while they were still moving.

But unfortunately for Sparrow, he then runs into Angelica, a beautiful but mysterious woman from Jack's past. Who then forces him to board the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard …

(L to R) Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp and Ian McShane in "Pirates of the
Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." Photo by Peter Mountain. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

… who then sets sail to an island where legend has it the Fountain of Youth is hidden.

Now where this gets interesting is that – according to the screenplay that Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio put together for "On Stranger Tides" – you can't actually drink directly from the Fountain of Youth. You first have to find this magical chalice …

… which (as you can see in the photo above) Jack eventually does discover.

But as to the way that the rest of the plot for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" plays out … Given that I don't want to end up on Santa 's (more importantly, Disney's) naughty list, I'm going to hold off on revealing what else I know about this "Pirates" sequel. Other than to say "On Stranger Tides" will be very reminiscent of "The Curse of the Black Pearl." In that it will attempt to tell a single self-contained action-adventure story with lots of colorful characters that's just plain fun to watch.

UPDATE: After I initially posted this story last night, I began getting e-mails from JHM readers who pooh-poohed the idea that "On Stranger Tides" was supposed to be " … a single self-contained action-adventure story." They immediately pointed to HitFix's story about how Disney was reportedly already planning on making "Pirates 5" and "Pirates 6." According to that piece, the Studio was supposedly planning on pulling a "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" with these proposed "Pirates" sequels. As in: To save money on overall production costs, these two films would be shot back-to-back.

Johnny Depp and Jerry Bruckheimer on the set of "Pirates of the Carribean: On
Stranger Tides." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

So is "On Stranger Tides" really supposed to be a stand-alone? I'll now defer to what "Pirates" producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Mark Steines when this "Entertainment Tonight" reporter visited the "On Stranger Tides" set while they were shooting a huge action sequence at the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot earlier this summer:

STEINES: Does it stop at 4? Does it go to 5? Do you see a 6?

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, if people show up for 4, we’ll certainly try and do a
5. We’re already working on a story, laid out some kind of interesting beats,
things we’d like to see in 5. So that’s where our writers are working.

So there you have it, sort of. There'll be a "Pirates 5" (and possibly a "Pirates 6") if "Pirates 4" is actually successful. Which given the way Hollywood works these days isn't exactly shocking news.

Anyhow … Getting back to "On Stranger Tides" now: If you really can't wait five months to find what
happens next to Captain Jack Sparrow and his crewmates, might I suggest that – on April
19, 2011 – that you pick up a copy of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties: A Graphic Novel Anthology
" (Disney Press).

In much the same way that Andie Tong & Jai Nitz's "TRON: Betrayal" graphic novel bridges the gap between Disney's original "TRON" film
and "TRON: Legacy," this upcoming Disney Press release will reveal what's been
going on in the "Pirates" world since "At World's End" ended and "On Stranger Tides" begins.

Truth be told, though, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea
Shanties" is a bit more ambitious than that. As Captain Barbossa and his crew
sit around a table in Tortuga's infamous Faithful Bride tavern, throwing back
mugs of rum, we're actually going to hear a tale that dates back to before
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." When this crew of
cutthroats came across a mysterious castaway who – through his own encounter with
the Fountain of Youth might then hold the key to lifting the terrible curse
that Barbossa & Co. are under.

This 128 page book – according to Disney's own publicity
material – is supposed to be a " … kind of Canterbury Tales
for the seafaring,
swashbuckling set." Which means that this graphic novel will feature six strange,
spooky and funny stories set in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" universe. And
among the unlikely adventures that you'll read about in this upcoming Disney
Press release are Captain Jack Sparrow's epic slapstick battle with the undead
Monkey Jack.

Plus we'll finally discover how Ragetti actually lost that
eye.

And did I mention
that "Six Sea Shanties" will introduce the "Pirates of the Caribbean" version
of Blackbeard to the world? More importantly, explain why this character is "…
the pirate that all pirates fear."

Another reason that you should definitely seek out a copy of
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties – A Graphic Novel Anthology" is
because Disney Press has put together an all-star team of writers &
illustrators to work on this movie tie-in project. We're talking about people
like Eric Powell of "The Goon" fame (who'll be creating "Six Sea Shanties"
cover) not to mention Bryan Q. Miller and Rob Kidd. Which virtually guarantees
that this upcoming graphic novel will be a great read.

But – again – that's in April of next year. April 19, 2011.
Just 4 ½ weeks prior to when "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" will
finally be released to theaters. But I
suppose that if you really just can't wait, you can always pre-order a copy of
this Disney Press release and be among the first to experience "Six Sea Shanties."

Anywho … Based on what you've heard so far, does "On
Stranger Tides" sound like an intriguing extension / expansion of Disney's "Pirates"
franchise? Or does this upcoming Walt Disney Pictures release sound more like
the sort of treasure that you wish the Mouse had left buried?

Your thoughts?

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