PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN SERIES
Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy swashbuckler films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney.’s theme park ride of the same name. The stories follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). Characters such as Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) follow Jack, Will and Elizabeth in the course of the films. The franchise has grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide; it is the twelfth-highest-grossing film series of all time, and it was the first franchise where more than one film grossed $1 billion worldwide. (More from Wikipedia)
In about 1985, Stiv Bators was recording a new version of a Moody Blues “B” side, “The Story in Your Eyes”; and the flip side was going to be a cover of the Richard Berry anthem “Have Love, Will Travel”. (The connection to the popular TV western of 50-some years ago, Have Gun – Will Travel is likely not well remembered these days). Richard Berry (no relation to Chuck Berry) is the author of the immortal “Louie Louie”; one time, Stiv Bators also recorded a version of that song with a whole studio full of people – the new lyrics that he supplied extolled the virtues of his new home town and gave it the name, “L.A. L.A.”. Anyway, for “Have Love, Will Travel”, Greg Shaw was hoping to bring in one of the stable of young rock bands that he had signed – but no, Stiv Bators had to have the Little Kings; Shaw described them as “an adequate but rootless Hollywood glam [rock]-damaged band with tattoos – drinking buddies of his I guess”. One of their guitar players, Gore Verbinski was in several other bands in that period and started making rock videos after a while. His debut Hollywood film was Mouse Hunt in 1997; he also directed the 2003 mega-hit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as well as the first two Pirates of the Caribbean Series sequels.
(February 2011)
