 Pirates of the Caribbean Posters
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Jerry Bruckheimer full interview
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 What can you tell me about the storyline this time?It's a quest to bring Jack Sparrow back.
And it literally dives straight in where we left off?
Yes.
The last film was a huge hit. What do you hope that the audience will get from Pirates 3?
We try to make very entertaining movies and the first one obviously was and the second one topped even that. So we try to make entertaining movies with interesting themes and characters and Pirates certainly falls into that realm for us and for audiences.
Has the technology developed significantly over the three, four years that the trilogy has been made?
You know we just try to invent characters that are fresh and interesting and the technology certainly didn't let us down - the character of Davy Jones was digitally enhanced. Of course, we had a great actor, Bill Nighy, playing the character but certainly in my mind that was spectacular. Every day or at least every few months, the computer power gets stronger and stronger and that means we can do more with it.
You had a little hiatus when you had to release Pirates 2 and then you had to go back and finish Pirates 3. What was it like going back?
It was like visiting old friends again, like going back to camp. You create all of these relationships with your actors and your crew and you take a small hiatus from them and you come back and it's a lot of fun to be back with the people you had such a good time with making the first two movies.
What was the total production time for Pirates 2 and Pirates 3 together?
It was well over 200 days so it was a long shoot.
Was that the longest project you have undertaken?
Yes, definitely.
You have had a remarkable career. Where does Pirates rank amongst all the films that you have made?
Well, they are all your kids, but Pirates was an excellent student, let's put it that way.
You've said before that you wouldn't rule out doing some more Pirates films after At World's End. What's the latest on that?
Well, we've optioned some material, we've optioned a book and we're looking at it. We're in talks with the same writers to come back and work on a fourth one so that's an on going thing.
And would that mean that all the major characters are back on board?
Well, you know, that's still on the drawing board but it's always fun to bring the characters you love back.
I understand that Keith Richards makes an appearance as Jack Sparrow's father…
Let's put it this way, Keith is in the movie. I won't say what he is playing but he is in the film, he has a cameo in the picture.
And did that go well?
It went fantastically well. Keith really enjoyed it, Johnny loved it and so did everybody working with Keith; our director had a great time too.
How do you shape the Pirates story - do you and Johnny and Gore have input with the writers?
Sure, Johnny is a big part of creating his character and Gore is leading everything and very involved with the writers. We all throw our two cents in.
Pirates 2 was the biggest film of last year. Do you have similar expectations for Pirates 3?
You know, I always hope for the best and expect the worst. You always hope you can equal your success or come close to it. We all get out of the bed in the morning hoping to succeed.
Geoffrey Rush is back in the third and he was one of the crucial elements for the first movie. And you've got new actors on board for At World's End including Chow Yun Fat, so does that help keep things fresh?
Yes absolutely and we added Chow Yun Fat to this one. He plays a great pirate in this one. And some of the action takes place in Asia this time - we have Chinese junks in it, we go to Singapore, it's a real adventure.
As a producer which part of your job do you enjoy most?
I love just about all of it, working on these big ideas, working with major talent like Gore and Johnny and the rest of our cast. And working with the crews that we've worked with over the years you make a lot of friends and it's great to put things together and give people work and good work that they can appreciate and their families can appreciate and be proud of.
Was there a big logical challenge on Pirates 3?
The logistical challenge was shooting two films together, that was the hard part. After our hiatus when we came back it was much simpler.
How many more weeks filming did you have to do when you came back?
You know I can't tell you exactly off the top of my head, but it was certainly a few months. We were mostly in Los Angeles and I'm now on my way back from Hawaii where we just finished a sequence but the majority of the stuff was done in LA. We were very fortunate with three, we didn't have the problems with the weather that affected us before.
If you had to pinpoint why the Pirates films have been so successful, what would it be?
I think the fact that we hadn't seen a pirate movie in a long time along with great storytelling and a brilliant director and the fact that you have such wonderful actors playing such interesting characters, audiences just love that.
What is the key attribute that a producer should have?
Oh I think he has to be a good storyteller, that's the key. Understanding what good material is and being able to translate that good material to the screen.
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