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1-1 Interview: Visual Effects Supervisor Ben Snow (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)

Damon Houx — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:00:12 +0000

Blockbuster movies often have release dates before they have finished scripts or have completed casting. Such is the world of movies that now often cost over $200 Million dollars. That time crunch hits the effects teams directly as they’re often one of the last stages of the process. For Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’s Visual Effects Supervisor Ben Snow that’s the reality- that sometimes creatures can be redesigned mere weeks before it’s hitting theaters. We got to talk to Snow for the release of Pirates 4 on DVD and Blu-ray (out now), and it’s an interesting world to live in. Check it out.

It seems like they were very little practical make up on this film, is that more the way? It sounds like you were making decisions in January.

With the other mermaids it was March. And so at that point it’s like “they’ve got seaweed hair, and that has to become human hair.” I have talented artists I work with so it’s easier, but it’s been my experience on these films that it’s a short production schedule. But a lot of our tools allow us to think on our feet.

When making changes in March for a May release, are trailer shots first priority?

That happens even earlier than that – we were working on trailer shots back in October. I actually find the trailer a big boost, because you learn a heck of a lot doing a trailer shot and it gooses the crew. But often you want more than you achieve. In this case we had the beautiful women already, and we shot four or five other shots, so a lot of our key moments we had. But at that point, it’s all hands on deck.

So basically you had six weeks to make the change?

Yes.

When did you come on?

I started when Iron Man 2 finished up, so April May of last year, but I think it was June when we were officially do it.

So if you finished with Iron Man 2 in April or May, that’s another picture that was worked on right up to release.

Yeah, absolutely. I definitely do think the next round of shows won’t be crazy like that, but that could be completely naïve.

It seems like every big effects films are up against the wall these days.

I just happened to a bunch of back to back ones.

Is it easier in situations like this to work with digital instead of film?

It was easier. I’d done Star Wars 2, which was digital. I was wary of the format going in, but now I’m a fan. We were able to deal with the camera department and get rushes, but it was a little clunky because everyone’s getting used to it. We also worked with the Red camera company to help perfect their color conversion pipeline as well. We did a bunch of tests that were helpful, and they implemented a number of fixes because of that. There’s a dynamic range issue, but the new generation of cameras are addressing that effectively.

I talked to Roger Deakins and he said that after shooting digital, he doesn’t know if he’s going back to film. And if Roger Deakins is convinced…

Exactly, for us grain is significantly reduced, extractions are better. There’s a lot of plusses to it. The trick was “can you make it look like film” and I think it can be done.

You say grain’s a headache, do you fake grain?

We always do. There’s noise in digital much like film, and if I make the camera change the ASA, you get a lot of grain on the low. It’s gotten better, but it’s still an issue. But when you put a mermaid on screen there’s always going to be a little bit of grain.

Is the transition to digital to film as extreme as 2-D to 3-D? It seems like 3-D would be harder.

I’d agree with that. The 3-D pipeline had been worked out in terms of shots. The digital to film pipeline was more a matter of procedure. For the film crew they still had to change the roll every nine minutes, but by doing that, they tapped into how a film crew works. And if we lost some footage, we didn’t lose a half day’s work – though that rarely happens.

It was reported that Steven Soderbergh was cutting Contagion after a day’s shooting, do you find digital speeds up the process for effects as well?

It totally does. The camera crew could slip us a drive at the end of the day. One of the first things we shot was (the mermaid) Syrena in the coffin, and we were worried about the rotoscoping, the tracking of her performance, and that meant I could look at the footage and say “I want this footage back at ILM” and then I’d still legitimately request them, but it gave us a big leg up on this material.

What would you say was the biggest challenge with the mermaids? I would imagine translucency is still difficult, even with a computer.

We just improved a lot of our lighting tools, but one of the first things we threw at it was this mermaid, which is magical and shimmering. So we broke the thing trying to make shimmery tails. Rob Marshall didn’t want to go with shimmery. I think all the water was a bigger problem, doing that in stereo. Once we got the other stuff worked out in pre-production, it wasn’t that bad, but every splash is a different story.

Splash is #1?

Yes.

Fire and water used to be biggest headaches with CGI, are they still the worst?

Yeah. The change to the mermaids was a big deal, but when you throw 3-D in the mix? Getting those to match…

When the early rushes from Jaws came in, before the color had been graded down for night, executives said “what are we doing, making a porno?” With all the half-naked mermaids, was that ever an issue?

That was discussed early on, and Jerry said “they need to be covered.” They had a rubber prosthetic for their whole upper body. And originally we thought “maybe this should be like Barbarella?” But this is a Disney film.

When you’re working with Marshall or Jon Favreau, do you ever adjust the mise en scene for a better effect?

Definitely. You ask them and they say no or yes. So as long as you don’t mind being swiped down.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is on DVD and Blu-ray now.

1-1 Interview: Visual Effects Art Director Aaron McBride (Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides)

Damon Houx — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:00:09 +0000

For a generation of film fans, ILM is where the magic happened. From Star Wars on, the company was one of the great pioneers of special effects, and they seamlessly transitioned into the digital era. For the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, I got a chance to talk to Aaron McBride, the film’s visual effects art director. McBride had worked on all of the previous Pirates films, so he saw the transition from Gore Vebinski to Rob Marshall. But for him it was all about the Mermaids. Check it out…

How did the design process start?

We started by looking at designs of mermaids that had the folklore of being irresistible siren, and there were early sketches that had them streamlined. The director was really interested in dancers playing with fabrics underwater. So we tried to recreate that beauty, with shawls or drapes, translucent, hanging around them. We slowly tried to introduce some scarier elements. It’s a long process.

How many iterations did you go through for the design?

We didn’t do a lot, but the most were for Syrena (the lead mermaid, played by Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), because she was going to be featured the most, and the love interest. Then Gemma (Ward), who plays the evil sister mermaid. Just because she needed to be super-seductive.

Would you say this is normal for the process?

Yeah.

Do you often start with a wider spectrum of possibilities?

We call it the “blue sky” phase, because you cast the net as wide as possible, and play with different things. If something comes to later, it’s always nice to entertain every idea.

What’s the thing you’ve gone through the most versions of in your career?

I think I’ve been fortunate, I think I had to go more versions early on in my work just because the technology has gotten better. Now we use photo-shop so we can show the director what it would look like. So being able to work a little tighter I think that reduces the guesswork.

And being able to push a button and change hair color…

Yeah, back in the day you’d have to redraw something to lower a shoulder, fix a neckline, and now it’s a lot easier to do that without breaking out the pencils.

Was there anything you felt like you got right away?

The initial design for the mermaids went pretty quick, and then when we were going to do something different with the hair – that was relatively easy.

What would say are the creative differences between Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall?

Rob Marshall, he was a choreographer, and he made musicals, so he gave us gorgeous frames. Both create beautiful color and value compositions, and I think Rob – because he comes from a stage background – brought in references to ballet. It didn’t go directly to the animal creature first. Some of the earlier Pirates films, passes were done by Gore and his team, and a lot of it was referencing animal life. They draw inspiration from different worlds but they both create great frames.

When I talked to you for Pirates of the Caribbean 3, in the background you had these very elaborate creatures, this seems a much more stripped down approach, which do you enjoy more?

It’s fun to do both, you do the deformed, cursed pirates for a while – and I loved doing that because you’re trying to be as disturbing as possible. But when we first heard about mermaids the question became “how do you beautiful in this world?” It felt like in the earlier movies all the supernatural elements had been frightening, and the kind of things when you see them you know they’re a threat. This time, it’s like “oh, they’re beautiful.” And you don’t know they’re a threat. And that was fascinating.

We talked to Ben (Snow). And he said there was the first stage of development, and then in March there was a complete shift on the thought process on the mermaids. Which is two months before the film came out. Walk me through your role, you’re mostly on for pre-production, right?

I’m on for pre-production, but I’m in for dallies and I work with Ben and offer up shot concepts. “We know what the design looks like, but in this light…” not changing the design but lighting concepts, and it stays on model – on target for the approved look the director liked. I stay on through the visual effect process, but I’m not designing stuff, it’s more shot art direction, where you paint on frames.

How was this different with that late design change?

We’ve had on other shows late design changes, and character additions later on in production – in Pirates 3 we added much more characters for the boarding party in the maelstrom. And we weren’t aware of that right away. Crusty Jack Sparrow was a later addition – sometimes they happen closer to the end than others, but our pipeline has gotten flexible enough we can accommodate a lot of these things.

When I talked to Jon Knoll for Pirates 3 he said something like “it will be the biggest film you will ever be involved with.” How was it then going into On Stranger Tides, was there less of that scale and pressure?

It’s funny, on every show there’s challenges, and if you’re not feeling challenged… But going into this one it was “how do you achieve the beautiful?” All the accents that you can add to make something attractive can also make it unattractive. It’ll look real, but it may not look as seductive. They cast all these beautiful actresses and models, and we wanted our creatures to elicit the same response as them. And it got to a point where a character would want to kiss a mermaid, having membranes and tentacles, fish-fin membrane glistening off of her may not elicit the same response as seeing that beautiful model in just a human form.

Is this film where you’ve had to look at the most naked women for the job?

No. (Laughs) I don’t remember, but I don’t think it’s this one, they’re all wearing body suits and their hair was artfully placed.

Well, you showed us some design images of naked women swimming.

(Laughs) It’s all about making the design right.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Is Johnny Depp’s Lone Ranger Back From the Dead?

Damon Houx — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:27:05 +0000

Last we reported, Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp‘s take on The Lone Ranger was put out to pasture because of concerns of a huge budget. Now Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the film has finally got a contained budget and is going to try to start shooting in 2012, with an official announcement due next week.

The bottom line on this story is that big budget blockbusters have hit critical mass. A film like Pirates of the Caribbean 4 was stripped down and smaller than its previous entry, and still cost over $200 Million dollars. But most summer event films this year cost at least if not more than $200 Million – even if their listed production budget was much less. That means that a film needs to do about a half a billion worldwide to be profitable.

On top of that, there aren’t that many available brand names to pillage any more, so where investing $300 Million in a film like Transformers 3 seems reasonable, it’s much less so for a franchise that doesn’t have the same sort of innate appeal to audiences. Harry Potter is done.The more obvious step would be to invest in new original material to grow new franchises, but that’s not the current thinking – especially after something like Cowboys and Aliens.

But summer and winter need their event films, and Johnny Depp is still great internationally. And so it seems we’re getting a better budgeted blockbuster. With a date change, it’s hard to say if Armie Hammer will still be available, we’ll know more next week.

Are you excited for Johnny Depp as Tonto?

D23 2011: Photo Gallery

Damon Houx — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:12:53 +0000

D23 was supposed to be Disney’s answer to Comic-con, or at least that’s what some thought when Disney – for the most part – pulled out of the San Diego event earlier this year. And yet 2011′s D23 is surprisingly mellow, geared more toward the superfan than the casual Disney consumer. And in terms of hype, there are no booths set up highlighting upcoming titles like The Muppets or The Avengers. In fact, there’s little presence currently for upcoming movies on the floor. The movie with the biggest layout is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

We’ve got photos of some of the cool items on display but currently it’s very much an event meant to appeal to the superfan. If it was supposed to compare to Comic-con, it’s building steam but not there yet. There are vendors selling items (with the majority Disney-themed), and some celebrities (today it’s Doug Jones and Billy Dee Williams) hocking autographs, but the biggest line is for the store to get Disney products.

The Disney Collector is a very special breed. With numerous generations having grown up on their product, the convention is filled with all ages, races, and sexual orientations. Children stand next to people heavily tattooed (often with Disney-specific inkings), with both just as engaged and awed by the 3-D preview of The Lion King. Here it’s about a love for these films that have shaped so many lives.

Check out some of the items on the floor:

Do you love Disney?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:00:00 +0000

(To Be Sung) Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Johnny Depp is back as Jack Sparrow (Okay, Stop Singing). Captain Jack Sparrow that is, in the 4th installment of the Pirates franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which hits theaters this weekend with a few character left behind (don’t worry, you won’t miss them) and a few others added (don’t worry, you’ll like them). Overall, this series seen both seen better and worse films, this film neither surprises nor confused. It simply us another Pirates film that will make the cast and crew more money…

The Players:

Director: Rob Marshall
Writers: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio; based off the novel by Tim Powers
Actors: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally, Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Keith Richards
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Cinematographer: Dariusz Wolski
Music By: Hans Zimmer

The Plot:

Once again Jack Sparrow is in need of a ship and will do just about anything to get it. This time he and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth in order to regain their ship from Blackbeard and his daughter.

The Good:

Penélope Cruz: Thank god we have a fresh face and another great actor and worthy opponent to Johnny Depp to work with as he gives yet another strong performance. She gives one of the best Johnny Depp impressions ever and really adds as much as is possible to a film like this.
Mermaids: It a film filmed with cliches and mundanity it was refreshing to have ANYTHING new and some flesh eating topless beauties did just the trick. If only the film would have been rated “R”. Though once you find the one nice mermaid, things go from new and interesting, to obscenely cheesy FAST.
Better than the Last: This film is better than the third film, on par with the second, but still a long way from the first. It is by far not the weakest film of the series and they were wise to keep it under 2 hours and make sure that it was not the boring mess that the third film was. It has it’s moments whenever Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush or Ian McShane get a chance to share the screen and actually act for a moment.

The Bad:

BORING: I could pick this film apart but I don’t even want to because despite the fact that they used the same gags as in previous films and this series has already been played to death, the overall film was just boring. It feels like they’re beating a dead horse. And there’s still more! Maybe it’s because the characters are never in any real danger. Maybe it was the storyline that didn’t really add up at times. Maybe it’s that I know I’ll have to sit through at least another 4-5 hours of these films in the future. Maybe it was the new director. Maybe, it’s the over-dramatic acting from the new comers. Maybe, Maybe maybe… overall I just found this film to be a complete bore.

Overall:

I think I’m just done with Pirates. I see no reason to go back unless they take Johnny Depp’s idea that he gave in our interview and “actually  shoot [the actors] on the Pirates ride. Just going around in circles, non-stop kind  of like Andy Warhol’s Sleep. Just close shots on everyone.” That sounds far more appealing to me then going back into the theater for another regurgitated Pirates film.

Rating: 3.5/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters May 20th.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Interview: Johnny Depp on Jack Sparrow, Working with Rob Marshall, Lone Ranger and MORE…

Mali Elfman — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:26:58 +0000

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is finally here and that means one important thing… that’s right, Depp is back in his pirate gear as the Captain of the Billion Dollar blockbuster who we all love because somehow he manages to stay cool and low-key despite his acclaim. Johnny Depp is undeniably one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but even when he’s talking to a large room filled with press, he still has that subtle charm and peculair sense of humor that makes you feel like you’re just shooting the sh*t with a friend and reminds your why he keeps going — he’s just so damn cool!

Depp as always gave some extremely fun, off the wall answers to all sorts of questions including what it was like working with Penelope Cruz again, bringing in new director Rob Marshall, his role in The Lone Ranger, and how he just keeps trying to get himself fired, but it just NEVER works…

What It’s Like Being Johnny Depp:

How was this experience for you, coming back to this character, being loved by so many people, making yet another soon to be very successful film?

Johnny Depp: It’s – well, it’s pretty psychedelic, actually. Yeah, I supposed you could make it even more psychedelic but we probably shouldn’t go into that now but, yeah, the idea of wondering through this ride and suddenly there you are three times. It’s quite an honor in a weird way. It’s a great honor. Some sort of thing that you took part in creating becomes this forever sort of object.

A long time ago in an interview you said “none of my films will ever be successful” how do you feel about that now that you’re a part of multiple top grossing films of all time?

Johnny Depp: It’s not my fault. I did my best, even to the point of trying to get fired on the first one and they just couldn’t bring themselves to do it. No,  it’s kind of interesting to experience that kind of ride after well,  essentially 20 years of enjoying a career based on failures and then suddenly something clicks. The weird thing is, I never changed a thing. The process is still the process as it ever was. The fact that people decided to go and see a movie that I was in was probably the most shocking thing that I’ve ever been through.

Male Speaker: And do you see yourself hanging on, doing this for decades, or?

Johnny Depp: Yeah, I think they could wheel me in, yeah. Might have my dreads get tangled in the wheels of my chair. I don’t know, I mean, sure.  Interestingly enough, for me, character like Captain Jack, you feel  like you could just like continue. The possibilities are endless,  limitless, you could – there’s any possibility of madness and absurdity that could commence. So you feel with this character you feel you’re never really done.

Do you think that you live through the character of Captain Jack, he lives through you, or at this point are you the same person? What’s your connection?

And in terms of any connection to the character of Captain Jack, was that it?  We’re completely – we’re totally different. [Laughs] Nothing that I can relate to in Captain Jack whatsoever. With every character you  play, as these guys will tell you, any character you play, there’s a part of you goes into that in terms of the ingredients of making this  stew. There’s most definitely a part of me in Captain Jack and  now, fortunately, or unfortunately, there’s a great part of Captain  Jack in me as well. Basically, I can’t shake it. He won’t leave me  alone. He just sort of keeps showing up at odd times. In fact, he arrived this morning when I was getting my kids ready for school. I  had to shoo him away.

Would you ever want to direct?

Johnny Depp: Oh, yeah. No, no, I tried that once.  Yeah, first one’s free. No, no, if I ever thought of directing again , I mean – I don’t know, even the idea of directing a film is a strange one for me, because I sort of – I feel kind of anti mathematics in a way in the that sense. Anti – I don’t like when things make sense, I prefer if they don’t so if I made a film it  wouldn’t make any sense and no one would see it. So maybe I’ll  just make little films at home with my phone never to be released.

Working on Pirates 4:

How was working with a new director on this film? Rob just entered the project but you’ve been a part of it for so long, what was that like?

It was incredible to experience because it’s sort of like a – some film makers go into a film, and they’ve got it all, it’s already shot in their head, it’s cut. It’s shot and cut in their head. I didn’t get that feeling from  Rob. What I got from Rob was that he heard it as music in a weird  way or rhythmic, and sort of new tempo, and a kind of way to finesse the sound or a way which became obviously vision as well, but it was an incredible experience. He’s unbelievably – his timing, and that’s not just to say choreographic timing or anything  like that.

But his sense of comedic timing is impeccable. He would have us just shave like an eighth, just an eight of a millisecond, just a tiny little sliver off of a beat, and it would change the whole dynamic of the scene, it  was quite something. The only problem is he’s really mean. He’s  really mean. Look at him. Look at how mean he is. He’s the  kindest man alive.

And then with Penelope, it’s been a few years since you guys have worked together, was it nice to reunite? Did she manage to teach you some Spanish finally?

Johnny Depp: She taught me the raunchiest Spanish. I  mean, it’s so foul that I couldn’t bring myself to repeat it here and  now. No, no, I think it’s a bad idea. I’d carry that on my back for the rest of my days. I mean, going to work with Penelope again,  having done to the film Blow together ten, eleven years ago,  something like that, was – well the weird thing, it felt like when we saw each other, it felt like we’d wrapped the film Blow like a  week before or a few days before.

It just sort of clicked instantly so that this whatever exists in terms of chemistry,  was just instantly firing on all cylinders. It felt completely right,  and it was Rob’s brilliant idea to bring her in and I think when he brought up the idea to me, he maybe got out the consonant and I  went, “great idea.” So I was very, very excited to have Penelope  come into the this film. I knew that she would be not only a  worthy opponent but someone who could just kill the scenes and  she did. She was incredible. So, yeah, no, that’s all in very good shape. And then Rob Marshall, what a gift to have someone of his caliber, someone of his talent to come in and drive this beast, and shape this strange animal into something.

Next Projects and Pirates 5&6 on the way (it’s NEVER ENDING):

How does your role in Lone Ranger compare to Jack Sparrow?

Johnny Depp: I mean I feel like what we’re creating in these story meeting and script meetings in terms of character and in terms of story, yeah, I couldn’t say you could compare it to Pirates but I supposed tonally there is a relationship because there is a kind of fascination with the absurd that’s involved in The Long Ranger as well, semblance of a reverence. But you need that, right, you’ve got to have that.

And as for taking the next two films seriously, Depp doesn’t seem to be too concerned about that….

Johnny Depp: What I was going to say before is there’s the very clever idea that is being  hatched in terms of Pirates 5 and 6 where you’re going to actually  shoot them on the ride. Just going around in circles, non-stop kind  of like Andy Warhol’s Sleep. Just close shots on everyone.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters May 20th!

New Pirates 4 Trailer promises Mermaids and Johnny Depp

Damon Houx — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:30:30 +0000

So, there’s a new Pirates of the Caribbean film due May 20, and that’s now less than two months away. For the fourth film (subtitled On Stranger Tides), they’ve ditched Orlando Bloom (nicknamed by Paul Schnieder “Orblando Gloom”), Keira Knightley, and trilogy director Gore Verbinski, and added director Rob Marshall, and stars Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane to the Johnny Depp show. The new trailer follows…

Well, it’s got the Hans Zimmer music and Depp making double entendres, so it looks and sounds a lot like the first three. And there’s no denying the addition of the mighty Ian McShane as Blackbeard is inspired, while having series stalwart Geoffrey Rush back gives this film some interest.Perhaps new blood, and a romantic interest for Depp will be enough of a change of pace to make this better than the last two Pirates films.

That said, the series never needed to be a franchise. The first three films were all bloated, and though the first film was fun, the gimmick of Depp’s drunken, rock star pirate has grown tiring. If this looked to be a stripped down adventure story with a more straight-ahead narrative, it might be fun to go back to this well, but the film comes across more as a cynical act of running something people like into the ground. If the first two Pirates sequels didn’t have the same kick of the original they at least had scale, and this film looks to be the budget version of this franchise. But even with a weak domestic total (and for this franchise that’s still doing $200 million), the film will surely make money through international – this is as safe a sequel as they come. The question is if it makes enough for a fifth. If so, let’s hope this one is at least entertaining.

Are you excited for the fourth Pirates film? If so, why?

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Banner and Sneak Preview

Krystal Clark — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:46:58 +0000

Two new pieces of Disney marketing have reared their heads for Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides. The highly anticipated sequel is set to open in theaters this May, and Jack Sparrow is here to kick things off. Over at Empire, they’ve premiered a new POTC banner, which features Johnny Depp as the character and he looks serious. There’s also a preview from the new film circulating the web that we’ve got our hands on. Check out both below…

Captain Jack looks like he’s angry! But can we really take him seriously? After he posed for this photo he probably went and drank himself to sleep. It literally looks like all hell has broken loose behind him, and we have a strong feeling that Blackbeard is the cause of it.

The following video gives us a little insight into what Blackbeard is doing in this sequel, and how his presence will change the course of the story. Ian McShane has never looked so deliciously evil! Perhaps, it’s because of the overdone tan? What do you think?

Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides is scheduled to hit theaters on May 20th.

What do you think of the sneak peek of Pirates of the Caribbean? What do you think of the new banner?

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Extended Super Bowl Trailer

Krystal Clark — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:47:58 +0000

Last week, we posted a teaser for the Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Super Bowl spot, and today we’ve got the full video! The extended TV trailer has been released and it’s awesome! It’s everything you’d expect from the movie: humor, greed, action, bad teeth, and of course, Johnny Depp! Check out the TV spot…

It looks as if they’ve found some new young lovers to replace Will and Elizabeth from the original trilogy. How do you fill a void left by Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley? With a young missionary (Sam Caflin) and a mermaid (Astrid Berges-Frisbey), that’s how! Plus, Captain Jack will have his hands full with his ex Angelica (Penelope Cruz) and her crazy father Blackbeard (Ian McShane).

Official Synopsis:

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides is scheduled to hit theaters on May 20th.

What do you think of the extended trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides? Are you excited to see the movie?

New Photo of Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

Krystal Clark — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:43:34 +0000

Walt Disney Pictures has released a new image from their upcoming sequel Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides. This time the focus (surprisingly) isn’t on Jack Sparrow, it’s on the legendary Blackbeard. The character is played by U.K. actor Ian McShane who looks armed and dangerous in this solo photo. Take a look…

Spending hours in the blazing sun has had some damaging effects on Blackbeard. He’s sporting a serious tan in this photo that would give George Hamilton a run for his money. We’re not sure who’s on the other side of his sword but whoever they are, they’re in trouble!

Official Synopsis:

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

What do you think of the latest photo from Pirates of the Caribbean? Who do you think Blackbeard is going after in this picture?

Photos: Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and The Muppets

Krystal Clark — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:01:52 +0000

A few official photos have been released in promotion of the tentpoles Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Muppets. One is a sequel and the other is a long awaited reboot, but they both feature new characters. Check out Jason Segel as he rubs elbows with Miss Piggy and Kermit, then take a peek at the latest from Jack Sparrow. Take a look…

Official Plot Synopsis for Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides:

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane).

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20, 2011.

The Muppets Synopsis:

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino house band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

The Muppets opens in theaters nationwide November 23, 2011.

What do you think of the new photos from On Stranger Tides and The Muppets? Which film are you the most excited to see?

Source: Stitch Kingdom, Collider

Terry Rossio to Write Pirates of the Caribbean 5

Krystal Clark — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:52:30 +0000

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides hasn’t hit theaters yet, but Disney already has plans for a follow up. According to Deadline, the studio has commissioned writer Terry Rossio to pen the yet to be titled sequel Pirates of the Caribbean 5. This news confirms the speculation that we’ve heard over the last few months about Stranger Tides marking the start of a new trilogy.

The site claims that even though Rossio will return for a fifth outing, his writing partner Ted Elliott will not. He’ll handle the screenplay for this sequel solo. Disney is also looking to rope director Rob Marshall into helming the next film, now that his first installment in the franchise is in post production. Johnny Depp is also expected to return for the movie, even though a deal hasn’t been locked in place.

We weren’t sure if a fourth film should have been made, let alone a fifth or even a sixth one. Disney really wants to ride this thing until the wheels fall off. Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides is expected to open in theaters on May 20, 2011.

What story could they cover next? What should Jack Sparrow’s next adventure be?

Do you think Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is a good idea?

ScreenCrave.com » Pirates Of The Caribbean

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