10 Fun Facts About Pirates of the Caribbean
“Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate“ Where have you heard this before? That’s right, our favorite Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most respected and adored franchises in pop culture today. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I want to be a pirate when I sit down and watch those movies. Even though I cannot be a pirate sailing the seas, I can find fun facts about one of my favorite movie franchises.
Fact 1: Disney Originally Turned it Down
In the 90’s Steven Spielberg was interested in making Pirates of the Caribbean, but Disney turned it down. The idea was pitched again ten years before the release date on June 23, 2003. The producer of the film originally liked the idea of a pirate movie that was different than those before it; because this added the component of magic with ghost stories, treasure hunting and curses in the mix.
Fact 2: One of the Most Profitable Movie Series Worldwide
This franchise is one of most profitable movie series worldwide and has continued to grow over the last fourteen years. It has had a lot of affluence in the film industry like other box office hits such as; Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars and Marvel. Pirates of The Caribbean has grossed in over 3.7 billion dollars worldwide. Wow, that is a lot of money!
Fact 3: The Wicked Wench?
We all know the movie that started this all was The Curse of The Black Pearl, but many do not know that originally Jack Sparrow’s ship was to be named The Wicked Wench. Weird right? The name came from the ship on Pirates of the Caribbean’s ride in Disneyland, before the film was a hit. Many scenes in the film were based on the ride, but later aspects of the movie were added and changed, drawing in more guests.

Fact 4: Hugh Jackman?
There is no argument that Jack Sparrow is one of the best parts of the series. Whether you’re laughing at his drunken comments, or when he falls over, it is evident that Johnny Depp was made to play Jack. As much as we love Depp’s portrayal of such an iconic character, the role of Jack Sparrow was originally written for Hugh Jackman, but the director chose to go with Johnny Depp because at the time he was better known.
Fact 5: Underwater
For the film, Dead Man Tells No Lies; the production team built an entire underwater set in a movie studio. I have always had great respect for designers to be able to see their vision and make it come to life for films, but this is AMAZING! With their design, the team made an assortment of plants and coral with lustrous coloring, but the sea floor was made from rubber tires, which covered it entirely.
Fact 6: Orlando Bloom
Who does not love Orlando Bloom? He is an incredible actor and quite nice to look at. Personally, I could not imagine anyone else playing Will Turner, he was a perfect cast, but originally Jude Law, Heath Ledger, Ewan McGregor, Tobey Maguire, Ben Peyton, and Christian Bale were all in the running to play Will. Orlando ultimately won the part due to his fame in Lord of the Rings franchise. It seems the director wanted more well-known actors when the series first began.

Fact 7: Keria Knightley Fired?
Elizabeth Swann is another character that makes Pirates of the Caribbean series wonderful, however, Keira Knightley felt very underqualified for her role, and as a result, she only packed a few belongings with her for filming, certain she’d be fired. Luckily she was not fired but brought Elizabeth to life in a way that no one else could. She was one of the main stars in the first three films; The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, and At World’s End, and also made a surprise cameo with Orlando Bloom in the fifth installment, Dead Man Tells No Lies.
Fact 8: The Famous Captain Kidd
The oars and sails on The Black Pearl pay homage to a ship belonging to Captain William Kidd. Captain Kidd is one of the most famous pirates in history. He was originally a pirate hunter who later turned into a pirate. It is believed that he left treasure behind, but some are unsure if he was even a pirate.
Fact 9: Keith Richards as Inspiration
It has been said that Jack Sparrow is Johnny Depp’s character. He changed him significantly from what Disney first imagined. Depp says “pirates were the rock stars of their time”, and that is why he takes inspiration from Keith Richards, who is a guitarist for The Rolling Stones and puts it into Jack. When Richards learned of this, he agreed to play Jack’s father, Captain Teague, in At World’s End. He was brilliant and you could see the resemblance in personality between both pirates. Like father, like son.
Fact 10: Money, Money, Money…
Making movies can be expensive. In 2007, At World’s End, became the most expensive film ever made. The total budget was $300,000,000. Just thinking about that price makes my mouth water. It is no secret how expensive special effects, CGI, designing sets, and costumes can become, but I would have never imagined that Pirates of the Caribbean would cost that much to make. Wow, Disney! Ironically this record was topped in 2011 with the following movie, On Stranger Tides, costing $378,000,000. As much as we love these films, it is clear they cost a whole lot but well worth it!
Special thanks to Lindsey Johnson for writing this article: Passionate, Creative, and Fantasy; these are three perfect words to describe the essence of why I love Disney. Disney allows me to escape my reality, and enter into different worlds through artistic stories beyond my wildest imagination.