Rocio Mateos
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth entry in the successful franchise premiered on this Wednesday. Directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg have shared some of their experiences during the filming. They talk about thoughts on the new movie and the future of the characters and the franchise.
While the first three entries of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ were directed by Gore Verbinski and the fourth by Rob Marshall, Jerry Bruckheimer and the execs at Disney were in search of a fresh director for the new installment.
Eventually, Norwegian filmmakers Ronning and Sandberg, known for their independent 2012 Oscar-nominated drama ‘Kon-Tiki’ reached Bruckheimer and Disney. The director duo offered their views of the film and how they perceived the story. Producers enjoyed the new ideas, so the directors for the new film were set.
It is the first time the director duo works in such a big production but they managed to properly deal with the team and the stars while giving the franchise a fresh turn.
In a statement, they said that as huge fans of the franchise. Also, how it was very important for them to keep the line of the mythology of the series and trying to maintain the atmosphere set by Verbinski from the beginning. They also left their own mark by making the storyline a bit more contemporary, without keeping the humorous parts aside.
“There are no small scenes in the movie. Everything is very grand. The story is pretty complex because it has a unique mix of drama, action, adventure, and humor. So, balancing all that was important,” Sandberg said.
For the new film, they also proposed a story that could be independent of the previous films. The directors worked with ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ in a way that you don’t have to necessarily watch the other four installments in order to understand the story. For many, it could be the first ‘Pirate’ movie. They did this so everyone could enjoy the films, the new fans as well as the old fans. But they pretend to make you want to watch the other films afterward because the story is as huge as it is interesting.
Some work in the old characters and adding new characters kept the story fresh
The directors intend to give every film they make an important emotional charge. The audience can truly relate to the characters. They also said that they wanted to give the franchise a new twist by exploring the storylines of old characters, like Captain Barbossa, portrayed by Geoffrey Rush. “He’s such a great character and we wanted to tell a story that would touch people and make you connect with him,” Sandberg said.
They also tried to make the story special for Jack Sparrow bringing an idea for a backstory. They described Depp’s character as flat. “He doesn’t really have a character arc… He learns nothing from his journeys.” This made them want to know what his origins are, and why is his character so great. That’s how the idea of going back in time to see a young Jack came.
There was not much to do with Barbossa and Sparrow’s personality, but adding Kaya Scodelario and Brenton Thwaites to the cast meant some character development.
They especially liked Scodelario’s character, an astronomer named Carina Smyth. The filmmakers think she adds a contemporary element to the story. “Making her role, that character, a modern woman, that was also very important — making her smart, making her strong and showing that she can hold her own in this crazy, dirty pirate world. I have girls of my own and I wanted something for them to, I don’t know, identify with,” Ronning said.
The directors are curious about the franchise future
All of the sudden, new characters and a new story were introduced. But the directors are unsure if that means the ending of the franchise or a new beginning. “Maybe it’s the beginning of the ending. We’ll see,” Sandberg joked.
When asked if they were already thinking in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6,’ they said that they are “curious” about what could happen with Scodelario and Thwaite’s characters since they are so rich and interesting.
But they can’t really tell whether there will be a sixth entry.
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) being chased by deadly ghost sailors, led by Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem). They intend to kill every pirate at the sea. The only way to survive is to find the legendary Trident of Poseidon.To find it he needs the help of Carina Smyth, a brilliant astronomer, and Henry, a young sailor in the Royal Navy.
