>Corona.bc.ca: Pirates of the Caribbean
September 4, 2002

Genre: Action/Historical/Supernatural.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures.

Production Company: Jerry Bruckheimer Pictures.

Project Phase: In Development.

Who's In It: Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow); Geoffrey Rush (Captain Blackheart); Orlando Bloom (Will Turner); Jochum Ten Haaf (in negotiations); Keira Knightly (Elizabeth Swann, rumored).

Who's Making It: Gore Verbinski(Director); Jay Wolpert, Stuart Beattie, Terry Rossio, Ted Elliott (Screenwriters).

Premise: In the 17th century Caribbean, a gentleman rogue and the daughter of a governor team up to try and stop a band of pirates from breaking a curse that leaves them trapped between life and death.

Release Date: Summer 2003.

Comments: Not content to rake in billions of dollars through its theme parks worldwide, Disney is now in the process of adapting some of its most popular rides into feature length movies. Since Jerry Bruckheimer is involved, we expect lots of explosions and outlandish action sequences.

Rumors: None.

Scoop Feedback:

[Page drafted by the rum drinkin', eyepatch wearin' Mr. Black. Arrgh!]

September 4, 2002... With filming scheduled to start on October 9th, Disney wants to make this one of their tentpole releases for the Summer of 2003, along with The Haunted Mansion, another Disney park attraction in the process of being turned into a movie. For those of you who love reading your spoilers, there's a detailed plot synopsis over at IGN FilmForce.

The trades announced today that Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) has signed on to play the role of Will Turner, one of Jack Sparrow's allies, while Tom Wilkinson is likely to take on the role of the governor of the island. [Reported by Variety.]

September 9, 2002... We were sent a letter from "Anonymous Monogomous Guy" informing us that British actress Keira Knightly (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) has been chosen to play the ingenue role of Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean. Elizabeth is the Governor's daughter who, as we're told by our scooper, "Always thought it would be exciting to meet a pirate."

"It could be a star-making role: romance, danger, swashbuckling adventure, and in the end having to choose between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom," explains "Anonymous Monogomous Guy". "Plus the she gets to wear great period clothes, when they're not being ripped off or doused in water.

"Rumor has it that Orlando was as smitten with Keira as the rest of the production team; he agreed to appear in the film only after meeting the youthful actress in London."

Knightly played the role of Queen Amidala's handmaiden Sabé in The Phantom Menace. ['Anonymous Monogomous Guy', whatta name.]

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