Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Writer
 Release Date
 Studio
 Starring
 Rating

***Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales*** is an upcoming American fantasy swashbuckler film. Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, with a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, the film stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Javier Bardem and Brenton Thwaites.

## Synopsis

Captain Jack Sparrow is pursued by an old enemy, Captain Salazar, who along with his crew of ghost pirates has escaped from the Devil's Triangle and is determined to kill every pirate at sea. Jack seeks the mythical beings that came to earth with the Trident of Poseidon, which will bestow upon its possessor total control over the seas, to use against Salazar.

## Development and Production

Shortly before the release of *On Stranger Tides* in 2011, it was confirmed that writer Terry Rossio was writing on a script for a fifth film Furthermore, the cast and crew of the fourth film were told not to occupy their time in the near future, as Walt Disney Pictures intended to shoot a fifth and sixth film back-to-back However, it was later stated that only a fifth film was in the works. On January 11, 2013, Jeff Nathanson signed on to write the script for the film On May 29, 2013, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg were selected to direct. This decision was based both on their Academy Award nominated high sea film Kon-Tiki, as well as their ability to work with a limited budget On August 22, 2013, Rønning and Sandberg revealed that the title of the fifth film would be Dead Men Tell No Tales. They also confirmed that they were working on the film, speaking highly of Jeff Nathanson's "funny and touching" script and that they are inspired by the first film, *The Curse of the Black Pearl*. However, after Disney's *The Lone Ranger* lost the studio $190 million in 2013—a film also starring Johnny Depp in a similarly eccentric role—Disney questioned the bankability of Depp and thus the franchise, so the film was reconsidered and not actually green-lit as of early 2014. Another problem, along with the lack of success Depp experienced outside of the *Pirates* franchise were script problems, as Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn stated: "We haven't seen a screenplay yet that I've been able to sign off on. There's a lot of variables that affect the final outcome once it leaves the studio lot, so we are very careful." Due to these problems, the film's production was delayed and it moved from a 2015 release aspired by Disney in 2013. to a likely release in 2016. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed that script as well as budget issues were behind the delay, and that Jeff Nathanson was at work on a second attempt based on a well-received outline, stating: "It’s all a factor. We want a script that everyone’s signed off on and a budget that everyone’s signed off on." After the script was accepted and the film was finally officially green-lit by Disney in July 2014, the release date moved to July 7, 2017.

Many of the crew members for the film were new to the franchise, replacing members that had served on the previous four films. Apart from Directors Rønning and Sandberg and writer Nathanson, a new Director of Cinematography, Paul Cameron replacing Dariusz Wolski, production designer Nigel Phelps, visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich, special effects supervisor Dan Oliver, supervising stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell, stunt coordinators Thomas Robinson Harper and Kyle Gardiner, makeup and hair designer Peter Swords King, new executive producers Joe Caracciolo, Jr. and Brigham Taylor replacing Mike Stenson, and film editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach and Roger Barton. Costume Designer Penny Rose returned after providing the costumes for all four previous films, along with Executive Producer Chad Oman.

Speaking to IGN while promoting*The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies*, Orlando Bloom indicated that the film might serve as a soft-reboot for the franchise, saying: "Basically they want to reboot the whole franchise, I think, and do something with me and the relationship with my son.

It was confirmed that writer Terry Rossio was writing a script for a fifth film shortly before the release of *On Stranger Tides* in 2011. However, his script did not seem to find sympathy at Disney, as in January 2013, Jeff Nathanson signed on to write the script for the film Still, his script too was not well received and partly due to these issues, the film's production was delayed and the aspired release date in 2015 postponed. As Disney and Bruckheimer could not agree on his initial outline, which according to a Disney source, "was too expensive but it was also really complicated and hard to follow", he was ordered to rewrite the script based on a well-received outline in early 2014, as according to Bruckheimer "we want a script that everyone’s signed off on.

On April 13, 2014, Depp said in an interview that Bruckheimer and Disney had invited him in to collaborate with the writer Jeff Nathanson. He also said that he wants to bring a *Pirates* film that's very fresh and different, implying that it might be the last one in the series. Depp was quoted saying "Everyone involved wants the script to be right and perfect. So we have gone on to do other things [in the meantime]. We are still going to do the film together. I enjoy them immensely. They are super talented. They have a great sense of humor. I think they have a really fun approach to what we are going to do with the next 'Pirates.' Very happily and proudly, I have welcomed taking part in the story and working directly with the screenwriter [Jeff Nathanson]—he and I. It's working out really well that way. So I have high hopes for that 'Pirates 5' because if that's really the last one, which it probably is, I feel that we owe it to the audience who went and saw the films so many times. We’ll do it right and end it on a high note."

## Cast

* Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
* Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar
* Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa
* Orlando Bloom as Will Turner
* Brenton Thwaites as Henry
* Kaya Scodelario as Carina
* Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs
* Stephen Graham as Scrum
* Golshifteh Farahani as TBA
* Danny Kirrane as TBA
* Delroy Atkinson as TBA
* Angus Barnett as Mullroy