“The one thing we couldn’t change is Jack”–writer Terry Rossio talks about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

The June 2011 issue of Total Film (UK) has a six-page feature on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which includes the usual beautiful photographs and some fascinating comments from the cast and crew. Writer Terry Rossio spoke about the changes between the earlier films and On Stranger Tides: “The one thing we couldn’t change is Jack. That would have been a mistake,” Rossio confided. “He’s always been a trickster character and we had to carry that through. And with Johnny, there’s no need to embellish that performance on the page because you know that he’ll do that himself.”

As for the storyline for Pirates 4, “We took a lot from Tim Powers’ book On Stranger Tides, which focused on Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth,” Rossio said. “We also wanted a romantic foil for Jack — someone who could meet him on his own terms, with wordplay as well as swordplay. Johnny had a lot of input in creating scenes, storylines, situations. We had lots of creative dinners. They’d normally start at 11 pm, the drinks would arrive around 1 am, and we’d go on until around 5 in the morning — usually at some incredibly opulent LA restaurant.” Nice work if you can get it!

The Zone thanks In-too-Depp for sharing the Total Film article; you can read much more about it and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.