Drink up, me hearties, it's a wrap! PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST completes shooting

It took nearly a year to get the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequel in the can, but writer Ted Elliott reports (via his Wordplayer site) that, at long last, DEAD MAN’S CHEST completed filming on February 7th at about 5:45 a.m., otherwise known as the crack of dawn. Ted adds that DMC filming concluded with two solid weeks of sunset-to-sunrise night shooting. That must have been brutally difficult for the cast and crew, so we salute them for having the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain exhaustion . . . .

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST is due in theaters July 7th. We wish Gore Verbinski and his talented crew smooth sailing through the seas of post-production. Thanks to Gilbert’s Girl and gilly for posting the happy news!

Ted Elliot adds that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 is “about one-third shot,” although he concedes that may be an optimistic estimate. In other PIRATES 3 news, don’t rule out Keith Richards’ participation just yet. The Rolling Stones just played a concert in Rio, and in an interview published in Rio’s La Nacion newspaper on February 18th, Keith said it is almost confirmed that he will be appearing in PIRATES 3. Keith expects to be filming in September. The Zone thanks emma for the news from Rio!

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and CORPSE BRIDE receive Saturn Award nominations

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced its nominations for the 32nd annual Saturn Awards, and both of Johnny Depp’s 2005 collaborations with director Tim Burton are among the nominees. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY received a nomination as Best Fantasy Film of 2005, and CORPSE BRIDE was nominated as Best Animated Film. Other CATCF Saturn nominees include Freddie Highmore, whose performance as Charlie Bucket was recognized in the Best Performance by a Younger Actor category; Danny Elfman for Best Music; and Gabriella Pescucci for Best Costumes. Congratulations to all the nominees!

The Saturn Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on May 2, 2006. The Zone thanks DeepinDepp for posting the story on the News & Views forum; you can read a full list of Saturn Awards nominees HERE.