Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

From Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films comes 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," the fifth film in the now-iconic 'Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise, which returns Johnny Depp to his Academy Award®-nominated role as the outrageous, swashbuckling scoundrel Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp is joined in this new adventure with Oscar® winners Javier Bardem and Geoffrey Rush, and cast members both new and familiar to 'Pirates of the Caribbean" fans.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" is a rollicking new tale of the high seas infused with the elements of fantasy, humor and action that have resulted in an international phenomenon for the past 13 years.

 

With the release of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2003 came the dawn of Jerry Bruckheimer's most successful franchise, one of the most successful series of films in the history of the Disney Studios. The film series was to become a game-changing, culture-altering, zeitgeist-boosting, history-making phenomenon, with the first film followed by 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007) and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011). Collectively, these four films have brought in over $3.7 billion of worldwide box-office receipts, but, more importantly, inspired and delighted audiences of all ages around the globe.

 

Now, the rip-roaring 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devil's Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea"notably Jack. Jack's only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth, a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry, a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.

 

In addition to Johnny Depp, who was most recently seen in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and Disney's 'Alice Through the Looking Glass," 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" stars Academy Award® winner Javier Bardem ('No Country for Old Men," 'Skyfall"), Brenton Thwaites ('The Giver," 'Maleficent"), Kaya Scodelario ('The Maze Runner" films, upcoming 'The King's Daughter"), Kevin R. McNally ('Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, 'Macbeth Unhinged"), Golshifteh Farahani ('Paterson," 'Body of Lies"), David Wenham ('Lion," '300: Rise of an Empire"), Stephen Graham ('Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, 'Gangs of New York") and Oscar® winner Geoffrey Rush ('The King's Speech," 'Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise).

 

The screenplay for the new adventure is by Jeff Nathanson ('Catch Me If You Can," 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"), from a story by Nathanson and Terry Rossio. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Joe Caracciolo, Jr., Terry Rossio and Brigham Taylor.

 

Behind-the-scenes talent includes director of photography Paul Cameron ('Collateral," 'Déjà Vu"), production designer Nigel Phelps ('Pearl Harbor," 'World War Z"), costume designer Penny Rose (all four previous 'Pirates of the Caribbean" films), Academy Award®-winning hair and makeup designer Peter King (all six 'The Lord of the Rings" and 'The Hobbit" films), editors Roger Barton ('Pearl Harbor," 'Bad Boys II") and Leigh Folsom-Boyd ('Fast & Furious 6," 'Furious 7"), visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich (an Oscar® nominee for 'The Lone Ranger" who previously worked on 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"), stunt coordinator Thomas Robinson Harper (Marvel Studios' 'Guardians of the Galaxy," 'The Jungle Book") and Emmy® Award-winning composer Geoff Zanelli, who worked closely with Hans Zimmer on all four previous 'Pirates of the Caribbean" films.

 

'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" drops anchor in U.S. theaters on May 26, 2017, in Digital 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D.

 

BACK TO THE SHIPS

When Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney got set to jump into making the next 'Pirates of the Caribbean" film, they began a search for a new story that would take the series a few steps forward, while at the same time harken back to the elements of fantasy, action, comedy, and elements of the supernatural that had made the first film such a sensation.

The search eventually led them to accomplished and talented screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who began to develop the story with veteran 'Pirates of the Caribbean" screenwriter Terry Rossio. Rossio, who shares a story by credit with Nathanson, wrote the screenplays for the first four films of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean" series with his writing partner, Ted Elliott.

While fully respectful to all that came before in the first four films, Nathanson"who has written the likes of 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," 'Catch Me If You Can" and 'The Terminal" for Steven Spielberg"was eager to make his own mark. 'Jeff was unencumbered by the history of the franchise," explains executive producer Chad Oman. 'He was able to objectively look at the series and bring a fresh imagination and creative point of view. He's also a very funny guy who brings a lot of humor to his writing."
'I'm a big fan of the franchise and have enormous respect for what Ted and Terry have created," says Nathanson. 'It's such a rich and wonderful world to step into, with so many great artists in front of and behind the camera working to bring it to life. I felt my job as a new writer coming into this established family was to both honor the spirit of the previous films while giving a new generation of fans a movie to call their own.

'The -Pirates' franchise is very tricky," continues Nathanson, 'because it combines huge action with supernatural suspense, romance and comedy. It's also a highly researched pirate epic that attempts to stay very true to the period. The key is to balance it all while telling an emotional good story, and finding ways to use these characters in ways we've never seen before."

'Dead Men Tell No Tales" would continue what had become a subtext in the tradition of the previous 'Pirates of the Caribbean" movies"a story about parents and children. 'It's a theme that has given emotional backbone to the entire series," explains Jerry Bruckheimer. 'The story of Elizabeth Swann's sometimes trying but tender relationship with her father, Governor Weatherby Swann, is dealt with in the first two films. Will Turner's desperate attempts to free his father, Bootstrap Bill, from bondage aboard the Flying Dutchman, is a crucial element of the second and third movies. Angelica's tormented relationship with her father, Blackbeard, is an important element of the fourth film. In the fifth, both Henry Turner and Carina Smyth are either trying to liberate, or search for, their fathers.

'And meanwhile," Bruckheimer continues, 'Captain Jack shares moments with his pirate dad, Captain Teague, in the third and fourth films, and with his long-lost Uncle Jack in the fifth. The -Pirates of the Caribbean' movies really are a family affair in more ways than one."

Bruckheimer adds, 'And speaking of family, we also wanted to bring Captain Barbossa, Will Turner, Gibbs and other old favorites back into the picture, but also invent a riveting new antagonist and other new characters to refresh the -Pirates of the Caribbean' world."
Like Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio before him, Jeff Nathanson also studied the original Disneyland attraction for tone and ideas. 'I have three kids," he notes, 'so it wasn't hard to get the family on board for research trips to Disneyland. The ride is an incredible source of inspiration, and it's hard not to use elements when writing the movie." And, in fact, the title of the new film would harken right back to the ominous words frequently and darkly intoned on the original attraction: 'Dead Men Tell No Tales."

 

As a result of his skill and appreciation for the franchise, Nathanson's screenplay is laced with the massive action set pieces and comedy that have become the hallmarks of the previous 'Pirates of the Caribbean" movies"with a considerable dollop of emotion and heart.

CAPTAINS AT THE HELM

While Jeff Nathanson was busy bringing the filmmakers' vision and the spirit of the new adventure to life, the hunt for a director began in earnest. What no one quite expected, however, was that they would wind up not with one, but two. Or that they would hail from Norway, more than five thousand miles from Hollywood, a country with its own historic tradition of seafaring pirates...although they were better known as Vikings.

In truth, the Norwegian directing team of Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg"who had impressed international audiences with their Academy Award®-nominated epic tale of real-life ocean exploration, 'Kon-Tiki," followed by the highly rated, big-scale Netflix miniseries 'Marco Polo""aggressively pursued the job, having been fervent fans of the franchise.

Explaining his choice of directors, Jerry Bruckheimer says, 'When you bring Academy Award®- nominated filmmakers who are young, aggressive and hardworking to tell a story that's been told four times before, they have a fresh approach. And that's what we wanted. We wanted them to come in with their creativity and their great film vocabulary to make this -Pirates' really special and really fresh."
Continuing, he adds, 'They bring a lot of style and a lot of flash to the film. It's a whole re-invention of the making of a -Pirates' movie, in the way that they approached it, how they did it and how they do the music. Everything is moving very fast."

'Espen and Joachim are big fans of the franchise," comments executive producer Chad Oman, president of Jerry Bruckheimer Films. 'They bring a lot of enthusiasm and a youthful sensibility to the project, and are used to working on water and under difficult circumstances. Although -Dead Men Tell No Tales' is on a much bigger scale than their previous productions, their background really lent itself to help them accomplish the huge tasks they would be faced with on this one."

For the directors, the opportunity to be part of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise was a dream come true. 'It's the kind of movie we grew up with and love," Sandberg says. 'That mix of adventure, action and comedy is what we've always loved about big American movies."

Confesses Rønning, 'The Pirates films remind me about the kind of movies that inspired me to become a filmmaker when I was a kid. Now that I have kids of my own, it's great to make a movie that they can watch, too. It's a true family movie.

 

'We know that trying to do something original with the fifth installment was going to be a challenge, but that was important to us," continues Rønning, to which Sandberg adds, 'It's an amazing franchise, and a great responsibility for us. There are so many fans around the world, and we were fans as well watching the movies in Norway."

Rønning and Sandberg were also somewhat astonished to find themselves in the employ of a producer they had admired for years. 'When we were kids, we watched Bruckheimer films," says Rønning. 'But being from Norway, those kinds of movies felt very far away from us. I remember our first meetings with Jerry, and it was insane for Espen and me, because he's a hero. We're working with someone we grew up idolizing. He's a legend."

It was important to the directors that 'Dead Men Tell No Tales" would be as fun for viewers who had never seen a 'Pirates of the Caribbean" film as it would be for longtime fans of the franchise. Sandberg comments, 'We made sure that we introduced all the characters and presented them in a thorough way. We also have two new main characters in the movie and a new villain. So it's very much a movie that you can enjoy even though you haven't seen the other movies. But if you have, it will definitely generate more depth for you. So it works on several layers."

On their approach, Rønning says, 'They're all great movies, but the first -Pirates of the Caribbean' was special. We wanted to try and go back a little bit to that to make it a little darker, a little raunchier. It was also very important for us that Jack Sparrow is always Jack Sparrow. We wanted to try, like they did very much in the first -Pirates' movie, to create real characters that you can identify with. There's a real love story and then Jack Sparrow comes in and crashes the party. That dynamic and that structure was something that we really went for and then at the same time keeping the darker elements intact."

Sandberg adds, 'We wanted to make the script and the movie, like Joachim said, in the spirit of the first movie, which had inspired us. But we were also really inspired by the ride at Disneyland because when you take that with a kid, it is fun but it's also very scary. So we wanted to get that same thrill."

Working on a movie of such grand scale and production value was new for the directors, but they approached it with confidence. 'All the -Pirates' movies are epic," says Sandberg. 'We wanted this movie to feel just as grand and be a fun ride. We wanted it to feel like the ride, to be fun and scary and emotional, and that means huge action pieces that are all very original and unique that you haven't seen before. Also we wanted it to be up close and emotional, and have some touching scenes in there as well. Of course, it's very, very funny thanks to Johnny and the other actors. It is a huge group effort, and we have an amazing team both behind and in front of the camera to make this into an epic, fun ride of a movie."

Adds Rønning, 'As Espen was saying, there's a great tradition in the franchise to find that grand action piece that can go on for a little while and that you've never seen before, and that's original. I remember in one of my first meetings with Johnny Depp, he was talking about the character Jack Sparrow and what inspired him, and he was talking about Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. So what we set out to do was to give him some of those Buster Keaton-esque comedy action moments, but for a modern audience."

Summing up the experience of working on the film for both of them, Rønning says, 'It was like a surreal moment every day on this shoot because not only is it huge in scope, production-wise, but we're also dealing with iconic characters and iconic ships and elements that have meant so much to us growing up with this franchise as well. So, for us, it became more like a proverbial sandbox in a way, in that we had all these insanely big toys to play with. I felt there was some sense of magic walking onto that set and having these characters around. That was fantastic."

ALL HANDS ON DECK

Bruckheimer, Rønning and Sandberg began to assemble and reassemble cast members both new and familiar. In addition to Johnny Depp reprising his fan-favorite role of the freewheeling Jack Sparrow, Australia's own national treasure Geoffrey Rush returns as Captain Barbossa, now commandeering the late Blackbeard's vessel, Queen Anne's Revenge, and literally sitting on a mountain of booty; Kevin R. McNally, making it five for five, as Jack's first mate Joshamee Gibbs, teller of tall tales and himself no stranger to the rum bottle; Stephen Graham as the delightfully dim Scrum; Martin Klebba as the diminutive and scrappy Marty; Giles New and Angus Barnett as Murtogg and Mullroy, having made the move from redcoats to pirates at the finale of 'At World's End"; and the irrepressible Jack the Monkey, Barbossa's beloved companion (though much disliked by Captain Jack), portrayed by the talented white-throated capuchins Pablo and Chiquita; and, to the delight of 'Pirates of the Caribbean" fans everywhere, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, cursed to eternally sail the seas as the new Davy Jones, and Keira Knightley, making a cameo appearance as Elizabeth Swann.

As Johnny Depp once again suits up as Captain Jack, he reflects on what he thinks appeals to people about the beloved character. 'I think first and foremost, and another important part of the character, is that because of his irreverence, which is more sort of innocence than irreverence, there's a purity to Jack. There's something to him that just says whatever comes out of his mouth, and then deals with it. Maybe he realizes it about five and a half seconds later because he's a little scrambled up top. I think initially what audiences reacted to was that this guy was getting away with things that we'd all love to get away with. He was saying things to people that we'd all love to say to people."

Describing where we find Jack at the beginning of the movie, director Joachim Rønning says, 'We start off with Captain Jack being down on his luck. He's completely lost his mojo. He's actually cursed. He has bad luck now and it's so bad that he actually has to rob a bank on land. And in the middle of this heist he falls asleep in the vault. And that's where we meet him for the first time in the movie. His crew winds up leaving him, so he's all alone and feeling sorry for himself."

 

As usual, Captain Jack does not experience any life-changing moments in the film and for good reason, as Depp explains, 'One of the key decisions that I had made for Captain Jack was that there would be no arc. I don't know that he learns from anything he does, and I don't want him to. I think he just moves, and he just goes. He just keeps going, so there's no need for redemption. He is at full arc. He is what he is, and he couldn't be anything else. He's absolutely like the very deep center of the reptilian part of our brain; he's the id come to life."

For Depp, returning to the film and working with Jerry Bruckheimer was 'instantly familial." 'I feel it's always an atmosphere that's very welcoming to the idea of trying stuff," says Depp, 'and feeling comfortable to just go nuts and fly around, trying different things, changing the dialogue up, dropping the bottom out of the scene to see what happens. I'm a big believer in the idea of mistakes and chance and improvisation and ad lib being pretty useful in film."

He adds, 'Jerry's always been there, too. That's the other thing: he's an amazing support for every member of the team. He's had the same crews working for him for 20 something years. He's a producer who produces."

Geoffrey Rush, whose Captain Barbossa has joined Captain Jack in the pantheon of pirate greats, was only too happy to once again go down to the sea in ships. 'We started filming the first -Pirates' film in September 2002, so we're nudging thirteen years during the shooting of this one of being a kind of extended family," notes the actor. 'I haven't tired of it because every time they send the next script, Barbossa seems to morph or transform his character. So once again, in -Dead Men Tell No Tales,' they've given Barbossa a whole new dimension, which takes him in a different direction."

Offering some insight into Barbossa's circumstances in the film, Rush says, 'Barbossa has become extremely wealthy. He's got more money than he can deal with and he's not a guy of high taste. He's running a very big empire, maybe 10 or 12 ships, so he's the kingpin. That gets challenged by a surprise visitor and his quest in the film is to take this guy out."

The 'surprise visitor" is Captain Salazar, played by Javier Bardem. 'Barbossa's relationship with Salazar is, who is this guy?" says Rush. 'Why is he back and why is he ruining my wealth, my lifestyle? Salazar's been under the sea for 25 years caught in a Bermuda Triangle kind of enclave. He and his dead cohorts are in a maritime limbo and they've become underwater creatures. But they must stay in the ocean because they can't survive on land, which becomes interesting in the plot."

But there is more to Barbossa this time around, as director Espen Sandberg relates, 'Barbossa has a very interesting arc in this one. We meet him as a fat cat, while Jack is now down and out. But then towards the end of the movie the whole game changes for Barbossa when he understands that there's bigger treasure than what he thought it would always be."

Rush was happy to play up another side of Barbossa, and says, 'Barbossa is ruthless. He's bombastic. He's narcissistic. He's pretty cunning with his manipulative use of language. For his age, he's still a frightening swordsman. He's a dirty fighter. But for the first time, in this film, there's an event that happens where there's a surprise sense of vulnerability. It's the first time I've experienced having to play Barbossa being seriously caught off balance. He'll need to go into therapy to get himself back on track."

Orlando Bloom, who reprises his role of the forever-cursed Will Turner, was happy to come back to sea with his mates. 'I have such fond memories of the first three," says Bloom. 'It was an amazing time in my life, and the idea of coming back was easy. For me, especially now that I have a son, these movies are great entertainment. I had nothing but a good time making these films, so this one is like getting a gang of friends back together."

Returning as Joshamee Gibbs, Kevin McNally says, 'I do have the five stripes now, one of three people in the cast who have been in all five films, and that makes me feel very proud. I think the enduring quality of the series is certainly a great deal to do with the incredible creation of Captain Jack Sparrow as played by Johnny, and the glorious Barbossa as portrayed by Geoffrey."

For Stephen Graham, returning to his role of Scrum was pre-ordained, another respite from the very serious characters he often so brilliantly portrays. 'Scrum is a completely different entity from the kind of work that I usually do," confesses Graham. 'In this, I'm not a psychopath killing people, or a tortured alcoholic. So as you can imagine, I was very excited, because I had so much fun on the last one. It's such a great adventure to be part of something which is so well-known throughout the world. I just couldn't wait for it to start."
Taking to sea for the first time is a truly extraordinary group of actors, headed by Academy Award® winner Javier Bardem, who brought his fearless, relentlessly experimental style to create a multidimensional antagonist for Captain Jack, the fearsome Captain Salazar, known as 'El Matador Del Mar" ('The Killer of the Sea"). With his crew of the undead, Salazar rids the Caribbean of pirates with demonic ferocity"not only because of his loyalty to the Spanish Crown, but also because of a particular vendetta against one pirate in particular"but always leaves one man alive to tell the terrifying tales.

While preparing for his role as Salazar, the actor began to formulate ideas, which included the notion of Salazar being 'like a wounded bull, full of rage and a strong need for revenge. One of the things that attracted me as an actor to play it is because Salazar has a point. I can understand his mentality. Of course, he's a villain, but we can also find empathy for him. That was the fun part, and that's where Jerry Bruckheimer, Joachim and Espen, Jeff Nathanson, and Disney all became part of the same challenge. We all worked together to make it happen, and it's rewarding as an actor in a movie this big to have room to bring your ideas and proposals."

For directors Rønning and Sandberg, it was important to create a memorable villain with Salazar. 'It was a challenge because you read about Salazar on the page and he's dead," says Rønning. 'He's not really a ghost in the traditional sense of the word, but he's cursed to walk in some kind of a middle ground. So, it was important for us to give that character depth. And that's why we felt so lucky when we got Javier Bardem to play Captain Salazar. We were excited about what he could bring to it."

'It was great working with Javier Bardem creating Salazar because he brought something new to the table in his way of portraying the two different Salazars that we meet: the live Salazar and the dead Salazar," says Sandberg. 'He chose to play the living Salazar like a matador, and then the dead Salazar like the wounded bull. So that was his way of seeing his arc and it made for a really interesting character."

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer adds, 'Salazar is the head of the family tree of the previous villains. He is the most frightening we've ever had because he's merciless. And the fact that you're not quite sure if he's alive or he's dead adds to that. He's brutal and he can't be killed, and his crew can't be killed. So that makes them even more frightening."

For Bardem, working on the sets of such a huge production was an interesting and positive experience. 'One of the things that I can't get used to"because I haven't done too many big productions"is the amount of people who are working so hard to make everything possible," says the actor. 'Meaning, when I see the sets, they are mesmerizing with the quantity and the quality of detail. Everything is there to spark your imagination and to really inspire you.

'It's so well done that when you put your feet on those ships, you really feel the power of being there. So as an actor, it's really inspiring. Of course, there are so many people working behind the scenes to make it possible. It's a total pleasure, a joy and a privilege to be on those sets. I thought I was going to be taken back by them but it's the opposite. They really inspire me."

Two of the most gifted young performers in film today also joined the cast. Australian Brenton Thwaites, who had impressed the filmmakers in such films as 'The Giver" and 'Son of a Gun," was awarded the role of Henry, the young Royal Navy sailor who is on a vigorous quest to help save a father he has barely known from a terrible fate, and Britain's Kaya Scodelario, who parlayed her fame in the television series 'Skins" into increasingly strong film roles, was cast as Carina, a strong-willed young mathematician and astronomer whose beauty is more than matched by her intelligence and fortitude.

For Thwaites the excitement of being cast in 'Dead Men Tell No Tales" was accentuated by the fact that he was still a kid when the first film was released, and has been a fan of the series ever since. 'The -Pirates of the Caribbean' movies were a big part of my life," Thwaites says. 'I saw the first one when I was about 14 or 15, I'd say. From the moment Geoffrey Rush comes out of the bottom of the stairs in the boat and says, -You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner,' I was hooked."

Thwaites' excitement to play Henry rose to an all-time high when he read the screenplay. 'When I first read the script, I realized that Henry was a character that drove the film from start to finish," explains the actor. 'I thought it was a great opportunity to be a part of such a grand story, and play one of the main driving characters."

 

Along the way in the story, Henry teams up with Carina Smyth, played by Kaya Scodelario, to find the Trident of Poseidon in order to free his father Will Turner from a curse. But another dynamic soon happens between Henry and Carina. As Thwaites explains, 'Throughout the story, Henry is struggling to find his father but along the way he finds he has feelings for Carina and doesn't really know how to express them. Jack, being Jack, pushes him towards those feelings and encourages him to take action."

Acting opposite Johnny Depp was a positive experience for Thwaites, who says, 'Johnny brings the unpredictable to the set. You never know what he's going to do in a scene. That's the scariest thing for an actor, but also looks the best when it works. That's what we all aim for in the moment. I love it. He encourages me to improvise, which is one of the hardest things to do."

For Kaya Scodelario, being a part of Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" was an exciting opportunity to expand her acting skill set. 'I've never done comedy before and I've always found the -Pirates' movies really funny," Scodelario says. 'I've always found it such intelligent humor; a humor that adults can get and kids can also enjoy. I really wanted that challenge as an actress."

Describing her character, Carina Smyth, Scodelario offers, 'She's a young woman who doesn't have any family. She's an orphan, but she's really tried to carve out a life for herself. She doesn't let that define her. She wants to study at university. That's her main goal. She wants to be an astronomer. She wants to study time and space and stars and the universe."

Carina's mission in the story is highly personal. 'I think out of all of this she wants to know who she is," says Scodelario. 'She wants to know that she's fulfilled her legacy and that she's done her father proud; that she has finished this mission that she set out for herself since childhood."

Joining forces with Henry is key to unraveling Carina's past. As Scodelario explains, 'Carina sets out purposely to find Henry because she's heard that there was a man who is saying things that she recognizes and she thinks he may be able to help her. She goes in disguise to track him down and to try to convince him to help her so they can find what they're both looking for."

But the two characters are very different when it comes to their belief system. 'Carina believes in science and Henry believes in superstition," Scodelario informs. 'They begin to teach one another that you can have a pinch of this and a pinch of that and, and in the Pirates world, anything is possible."

Other newcomers to the cast include the internationally acclaimed, Iranian-born Golshifteh Farahani as Shansa, a mysterious and powerful sea witch in tenuous league with the British, and veteran Australian actor David Wenham as Scarfield.

Wenham"whose numerous credits include costarring with Johnny Depp in 'Public Enemies"" plays an officer in the Royal Navy, who is a ruthless and determined martinet. 'Scarfield hates two things," notes Wenham, 'pirates and witches. He's a suspicious man, a superstitious man, and once he hears about the Trident of Poseidon"even though he doesn't know if it's real or not"he wants it for the British Navy."

 

 

A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR US!

When 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" opens on May 26, audiences will once again be transported to the colorful, antic-filled and heartwarming world of the most outrageous pirates ever to sail the seven seas. Through the vision of the talented filmmakers and extraordinary cast, the film promises to deliver a cinematic adventure like no other.

Johnny Depp hints, 'We've come up with new angles and surprises; things are a bit more bizarre, a bit darker even. And there's some really funny stuff in there as well. So I think it will have that element of surprise that the first film had."

Expressing his thoughts on what the film will deliver to audiences, Javier Bardem adds, 'Fans know what they're looking for, and it's going to be given to them, which is joy, entertainment, the highest quality of visuals and special effects, and seeing Captain Jack Sparrow again doing his thing. But there are also very interesting new characters, a different dimension to what's been one of the great franchises of all time. -Dead Men Tell No Tales' is alive and has its own beat."

Geoffrey Rush offers his thoughts on the enduring popularity of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, saying, 'The fan base for the film is strong. It's a different genre being set in a slightly fantastical 18th-century world of piracy. There's something about how pirates never go out of fashion. I think that people like to say to themselves, -Imagine if I just let loose and be like Jack Sparrow, just adventure my way through life and take it as it comes and get out of scrapes and have ups and downs, but kind of run my own show, know my own self.'"

Director Joachim Rønning says, 'We wanted to make the best -Pirates' movie ever. We wanted to create fun, spectacular action, an epic movie with a very strong emotional core and great characters. We've been working hard now for years to get in the spirit of the first film, and at the same time make -Dead Men Tell No Tales' feel fresh and new. Now it's up to the audience to see if we accomplished that."

 

'We could only have dreamed when we did the first film that we were creating something that would have taken us this far," comments Jerry Bruckheimer. 'It's been such a privilege, and we owe it not only to the great artists and craftsmen on both sides of the camera who have worked on the -Pirates of the Caribbean' films, but to audiences around the world with whom these movies have struck such a chord.
'All we've ever really wanted to do is to entertain them, bring them into a different world for a few hours, and little did we know that we would have brought them into that world for nearly fifteen years."

Bruckheimer adds with a laugh, 'I guess it's been a pirate's life for all of us!"