While Johnny Depp’s $4.5B Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is regarded as a groundbreaking piece of blockbuster in Hollywood, a few people considered it a risky endeavor. Evidently, Christopher Nolan’s longtime pal Hans Zimmer, who composed music for four films in the franchise, was initially a bit skeptical about the first installment.
The acclaimed music composer had bizarre reasons to doubt Gore Verbinski’s ambitious mission of making a film about pirates, starring Johnny Depp as the infamous Jack Sparrow. During an interview with Collider, Verbinski reflected upon Hans Zimmer’s concerns regarding the movie, until it was released in theatres and turned into a billion-dollar hit.
Hans Zimmer Was Skeptical About Pirates of the Caribbean
The long-standing $4.5B franchise from Warner Bros. featuring Johnny Depp as the beloved pirate Jack Sparrow, has been regarded as a period piece by fans. The franchise is deemed to have turned into a grand success because of the phenomenal casting, epic direction, and flawless music composition.
However, while fans hail the movies as epic works of art, Hans Zimmer initially considered the idea flawed. Having zero faith in Gore Verbinski’s vision and Johnny Depp’s capabilities to turn the movies into a billion-dollar franchise, Zimmer tried to stop the director from creating a disaster.
During an interview with Collider, Gore Verbinski recalled why Zimmer was skeptical about the first installment and revealed his reasons. “I remember pitching it to [Hans] Zimmer and he said, ‘You’re mad! You’re making a pirate movie? Nobody’s going to see a pirate movie.’ It was resoundingly, ‘that’s the worst idea ever.’” Verbinski shared.
Despite Hans Zimmer’s warnings, Gore Verbinski proceeded with his chances of failure to turn it into an exceptional franchise.
Also read: Even After 40 years in Hollywood, Johnny Depp Can Not Stand One Thing on His Movie Set
Gore Verbinski’s Ambitious Mission Turned Into a $4.5B Hit
Discussing the director’s cut during the interview with Collider, Gore Verbinski mentioned how he felt excited by his risky endeavor. “And there was something exciting about that. It was so doomed to fail. You’re setting out to go make a genre that literally doesn’t work, or there’s so much historical proof that it will not work.” Verbinski mentioned.
Thereafter, taking the great risk and releasing the first installment Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, Gore Verbinski took a leap of faith and became the torch bearer for the $4.5B franchise. The director mentioned how everyone on set, including the Warner Bros studios, was nervous about the story and Johnny Depp‘s performance.
“Everybody’s nervous about Johnny Depp’s performance. Everybody’s nervous about the story…Everything about that had a spirit of madness to it. Then, after it was successful, Pirates 2 and 3 start to fall into the ‘release date-driven experience’.”
Gore Verbinski’s decision to develop a story about a pirate turned into a massive success at the Box Office. The first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, thus earned a staggering $654.3M against its $140M budget. And ever since then, Warner Bros never had a miniscule of doubt regarding the future of the franchise.
Watch Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Disney+.
Read more: What Role Did Zoe Saldana Play in Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean?
Source: Collider
