Following Disney’s first few attempts to adapt one of its own theme park attractions into a feature-length film — Tower of Terror, Mission to Mars, and The Country Bear — nobody expected that the fourth time would be the charm. There was also some fear regarding its chances at the box office, including among some of the cast members, considering how even the best pirate movies did not have a great success rate at the time. However, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ended up raking in a lot of booty, spawning a franchise that may not be finished yet, and even prompting renovations to the ride that inspired it with specific references.
It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since we first saw famed pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) joining forces with young blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to take on the cursed Capt. Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). In honor of this milestone, we have dug deep to find some of the hidden treasures lurking beneath this beloved, adventurous blockbuster — some of which may have you jolly as a Roger, and others that will cause you to shiver your timbers. See for yourself by scoping out these behind-the-scenes facts from the first (and, arguably, the best of the) Pirates of the Caribbean movies — starting with a glimpse at how different the film may have been if a certain filmmaking legend was made captain of the crew.
