Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 American swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), it is the second installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. It is set a year after the first film and follows Captain Jack Sparrow who owes a debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the ghastly captain of the Flying Dutchman, and being marked for death and pursued by the Kraken. Meanwhile, the wedding of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), who wants Turner to acquire Jack's magic compass in a bid to find the Dead Man's Chest.
Two sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were conceived in 2004, with Elliott and Rossio developing a story arc that would span both films. Filming took place from February to September 2005 in Palos Verdes, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and The Bahamas, as well as on sets constructed at Walt Disney Studios. It was shot back-to-back with the third film of the series, At World's End (2007). With a production budget of $225 million, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release.
Dead Man's Chest premiered at the Disneyland Resort on June 24, 2006, and was released in the United States on July 7, to mixed reviews from critics. The film broke several records at the time, including the opening-weekend record in the United States with $136 million and the fastest film to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office (63 days), and became the highest-grossing film of 2006, the third highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release, and the highest-grossing film in the series. It was also the highest-grossing film released by Disney until it was surpassed by Toy Story 3 in 2010. The film received four nominations at the 79th Academy Awards (winning Best Visual Effects). The sequel, At World's End, was released in 2007.
Plot
About one year after Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann helped Captain Jack Sparrow escape from Port Royal, their wedding is interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company, who arrives with arrest warrants. Commodore James Norrington, who has since resigned from the British Navy after losing his ship, the HMS Dauntless, in a hurricane while pursuing Jack, also has a warrant. Later, revealing Letters of Marque signed by King George, Beckett offers to free Will and Elizabeth in exchange for recovering Sparrow's compass.
Meanwhile, aboard the Black Pearl, Jack is visited by Will's father, Bootstrap Bill Turner, now a cursed crewman of the Flying Dutchman, captained by Davy Jones. Jack made a deal with Jones to raise the Pearl from the depths and 13 years as captain, a debt Jack must repay by now serving aboard the Dutchman or he will be dragged into Davy Jones' Locker by the Kraken, after which Bootstrap marks Jack with the Black Spot.
Will finds Jack's crew on an island, helps them escape from a tribe of cannibals, and makes a deal with Jack to find the key to the Dead Man's Chest in return for Jack's compass. Afterward, Jack visits Tia Dalma, a voodoo priestess who helps in finding the chest, which holds Jones' still-beating heart; whoever has it can control Jones. Will is tricked into servitude with Jones' cursed crew aboard the Dutchman in Jack's stead, while Jones agrees to free Jack if he can provide 99 more souls in three days. Will reunites with Bootstrap Bill aboard the Dutchman, and learns that Jones himself possesses the key through a game of Liar's Dice. After Will escapes with the key by climbing aboard the Edinburgh Trader, Jones summons the Kraken to attack the ship, but Will manages to escape.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth is broken out of prison by her father, Governor Swann, who is then captured himself. Elizabeth steals the Letters of Marque from Beckett and makes her way to Tortuga, where she finds both a drunken Norrington and Jack, who tricks Elizabeth into using his compass to find Jones' chest. All parties arrive on Isla Cruces, where the chest is buried. A three-way sword fight breaks out between Jack, Will, and Norrington, who all want the heart for their respective goals: Jack to negate his debt to Jones and call off the Kraken; Will to free his father from the Dutchman; and Norrington to regain his life as a Navy officer. Norrington secretly steals the heart and the Letters of Marque in the chaos before running off, drawing Jones' crew long enough for the others to escape. However, Jones sends the Kraken to attack the Pearl, killing most of Jack's crew and destroying all but one of the lifeboats, which Jack briefly uses to flee before returning to help wound the Kraken with a net full of gunpowder and rum.
As Jack orders the survivors to abandon ship, Elizabeth realizes the Kraken only wants Jack and chains him to the mast so the crew can escape while the Kraken drags Jack and the Pearl to the depths. Seemingly satisfied that Jack’s debt is settled, Jones opens the chest and is enraged to find his heart missing. Norrington gives Beckett the Letters and Jones's heart, thereby reinstating Norrington in the Navy and allowing Beckett to gain control of Jones, the Dutchman, and the Kraken. Jack's crew return to Tia Dalma, and agree about the possibility of rescuing him at "world's end". Tia Dalma introduces their guide: Hector Barbossa, who has been resurrected.
Cast
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow: The eccentric pirate captain of the Black Pearl. He is hunted by the Kraken because of his unpaid debt to Davy Jones. He is also searching for the Dead Man's Chest to free himself from Jones' servitude. Orlando Bloom as William Turner: A blacksmith-turned-pirate who strikes a deal with Cutler Beckett to find Jack Sparrow and his compass so he can save both himself and his fiancée Elizabeth from execution. Later he is reunited with, and seeks to free, his father, who eventually owes a lifetime of servitude to Davy Jones. Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann: Governor Swann's daughter and Will's fiancée, who is arrested on her wedding day for helping Captain Jack Sparrow escape. Escaping jail with help from her father, she meets up with Jack in Tortuga and joins his crew to search for both Will and the chest. Stellan Skarsgård as William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner: Will Turner's father and a crewman aboard the Flying Dutchman. Following the mutiny against Jack led by Hector Barbossa, Bootstrap Bill joined Barbossa's crew in finding the cursed Aztec gold on Isla de Muerta, which rendered them immortal as the undead. Tied to a cannon and thrown overboard by Barbossa, Bootstrap was trapped somewhere at the bottom of the ocean before he sold his soul to Davy Jones to alleviate his eternal suffering. Bill Nighy as Davy Jones: Captain of the Flying Dutchman. Davy Jones was once a human being. Unable to bear the pain of losing his true love, he carved out his heart and put it into the Dead Man's Chest, then buried it in a secret location. He has become a bizarre creature – part octopus, part crab, part man – and collects the souls of dead or dying sailors to serve aboard his ship for one hundred years. Prior to officially casting Nighy, producers also met Jim Broadbent, Iain Glen and Richard E. Grant for the role. Other actors considered for the role included Christopher Walken and Ian McShane, with the latter being cast later as Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Jack Davenport as James Norrington: He resigned his commission as Commodore in the Royal Navy after losing his ship and crew in a hurricane off the coast of Tripoli in the pursuit of Jack Sparrow and his crew. Fallen on hard times, he joins the Black Pearl's crew and seeks to regain his honor and career. Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs: The Black Pearl's first mate and Jack's loyal friend, he once served in the Royal Navy under Lieutenant James Norrington. Jonathan Pryce as Governor Weatherby Swann: Elizabeth's father and governor of Port Royal. He adores his daughter but puts little faith in Will - not considering him the best match for Elizabeth. Lee Arenberg as Pintel: Ragetti's inseparable crewmate. Mackenzie Crook as Ragetti: A pirate and former Black Pearl crewmember under Captain Barbossa, he was imprisoned after the Aztec curse was broken, but escaped to rejoin Captain Jack Sparrow's Black Pearl crew. He has a wooden eye, and despite being illiterate, has begun "reading" the Bible, with the excuse that "you get credit for trying". Tom Hollander as Lord Cutler Beckett: Chairman of the East India Trading Company, he travels to Port Royal to capture and recruit Jack Sparrow as a privateer. What he really desires is Davy Jones' heart, with which he can rule the seas with Jones' commanded servitude. Ricky Gervais was offered the role but turned it down. Naomie Harris as Tia Dalma: An obeah priestess with whom Jack bartered for his magic compass. She explains the legend of Davy Jones, in addition to owning a similar locket to his. Alex Norton as Captain Bellamy, the pirate captain of the Edinburgh Trader. David Bailie as Cotton, a mute member of the Black Pearl's crew. Martin Klebba as Marty, a dwarf member of the Black Pearl's crew. David Schofield as Ian Mercer, Lord Beckett's second in command John Boswall as Wyvern, an ancient member of Davy Jones’ crew who has fused with the ship. Derrick O'Connor as Very Old Man, an inexperienced sailor in Jack Sparrow's crew. Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa, the former captain of the Black Pearl and Jack Sparrow's former first mate. An uncredited role, having originally met his demise in the previous installment, Barbossa is revealed to have been resurrected by Tia Dalma in the final scene of this film.
Production
Development Following the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), the cast and crew signed on for two more sequels to be shot back-to-back, a practical decision on Disney's part to allow more time with the same cast and crew. Writer Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio decided not to make the sequels new adventures featuring the same characters, as with the Indiana Jones and James Bond series, but to retroactively turn The Curse of the Black Pearl into the first of a trilogy. They wanted to explore the reality of what would happen after Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's embrace at the end of the first film, and initially considered the Fountain of Youth as the plot device. They settled on introducing Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken. They also introduced the historical East India Trading Company, who for them represented a counterpoint to the themes of personal freedom represented by pirates.
Planning began in June 2004, and production was much larger than The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was only shot on location in St. Vincent. This time, the sequels would require fully working ships, with a seaworthy Black Pearl built over the body of the Sunset, an unglamorous craft which once serviced oil derricks in the Gulf of Mexico constructed in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. By November, the script was still unfinished as the writers did not want director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer to compromise what they had written, so Verbinski worked with James Ward Byrkit to storyboard major sequences without need of a script, while Elliott and Rossio wrote a "preparatory" script for the crew to use before they finished the script they were happy with. By January 2005, with rising costs and no script, Disney executives threatened to cancel the film, but changed their minds. The writers would accompany the crew on location, feeling that the lateness of their rewrites would improve the spontaneity of the cast's performances.
Filming