Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 American adventure fantasy film and the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. In the film, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is joined by Angelica (Penélope Cruz) in his search for the Fountain of Youth, confronting the infamous, real-life, legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). The plot draws inspiration from the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, which also inspired the LucasArts game The Secret of Monkey Island. It is directed by Rob Marshall, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
The movie was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and was released in the United Kingdom and Italy on May 18, 2011, in Australia and Turkey on May 19, 2011, and in the United States and Canada on May 20, 2011. The release was presented in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D, as well as in traditional two-dimensional and IMAX formats. The film was first announced in 2008 and principal photography started in June 2010. The release was the first in the series to be directed by Rob Marshall and not Gore Verbinski. It was also the first movie in the series which featured fictional versions of historical characters such as Blackbeard, George II of Great Britain, Henry Pelham, John Carteret and Ferdinand VI of Spain. It was the first Pirates of the Caribbean film to be released in 3D and Jerry Bruckheimer's second 3D film, following the 2009 movie G-Force. It was also the fifth Disney film to use Dolby 7.1 surround sound. While previous films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have been filmed in the Caribbean Sea, On Stranger Tides was filmed mainly in Hawaii.
A man claiming he served under Juan Ponce de León, who died two hundred years previously while searching for the Fountain of Youth is brought before Spanish King Ferdinand VI. Ferdinand orders the head of his Secret Service, known only as The Spaniard, to find the fountain. Meanwhile, in London, Joshamee Gibbs is on trial for his former captain's piracy. However, a mysterious Judge - Jack Sparrow in disguise - sentences Gibbs to life in prison and has bribed the transporter so he can get Gibbs out of London. However, he and Gibbs have been deceived and find themselves delivered to St James's Palace, where Jack is brought before King George II. The king forces Sparrow to guide a British expedition to find the Fountain of Youth before the Spanish claim it. The expedition's leader is Captain Hector Barbossa, now a Privateer in the King's service. Barbossa, who now has a wooden leg, reveals that he lost the Black Pearl. Jack escapes, and is briefly reunited with his father, Captain Teague, who warns Jack that the quest for the Fountain will test him. Teague also says two silver chalices are needed for the Fountain, then advises Jack to join the crew that is gathering within the tavern.
Jack discovers that the person who has been impersonating him is his former love, Angelica. She drugs Jack and has him taken aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, commanded by the cruel Blackbeard, who is also her father. After Jack leads a failed mutiny attempt with the shanghaied crew, Blackbeard uses both a "bottled" Black Pearl and a voodoo doll in Jack's image to force him to use his magical compass to find the Fountain. Blackbeard's quest is to achieve eternal life so he can break a prophecy that foretells his death by a one-legged-man. A ritual using Ponce de León's two silver chalices and a mermaid's tear must be performed at the fountain before drinking from its water. The chalice containing the mermaid's tear gives longer life by stealing the remaining years of whoever drinks from the other cup. The Revenge arrives at Whitecap Bay, where Blackbeard intends to capture a mermaid. The crew is attacked by Tamara, Queen of the Mermaids, but they capture a young mermaid. Philip Swift, a captive missionary, is captivated by her, and he later names her, Syrena. After finding a safer port, and making sure Jack cannot locate the ship, Blackbeard sends him on foot to find the Santiago, Ponce de León's ship, and retrieve the silver chalices.
Meanwhile, Barbossa, forced to take Gibbs who has memorized Jack's burned map, sets sail on the HMS Providence. Arriving at Whitecap Bay and abandoning the ship and its remaining crew to die by the mermaids, Barbossa, Gibbs, and a handful of men march through the jungles searching for the Santiago. Jack also arrives at the Santiago' but finds only Barbossa; the Spanish have already taken the chalices. They find The Spaniard's camp and steal the chalices. Barbossa admits to Jack that he became a privateer to exact revenge on Blackbeard for capturing the Pearl. Jack and Barbossa then devise a plan to defeat Blackbeard, and then part ways. As this occurs, Syrena and Philip have developed closer feelings for one another, which Blackbeard exploits to trick Syrena into shedding a tear that he collects. He leaves her to die, tied to a tree while forcing Phillip to go with him and his crew. Jack rejoins Blackbeard and hands over the silver chalices in exchange for regaining his magic compass which he then gives to Gibbs.
Blackbeard's crew arrives at the Fountain, but they are ambushed by Barbossa and his crew, and Blackbeard realizes Sparrow set a trap. As a fierce fight breaks out, Philip, mortally wounded, makes his way back to Syrena and frees her. The battle ends when the Spaniard arrives with his Battalion, revealing that his mission is to destroy the fountain; he throws the silver chalices away and orders his men to tear the fountain apart. When Barbossa stabs Blackbeard with his poisoned sword, Angelica is also cut by the poisoned blade. The shanghaied crew joins Barbossa, and they depart, leaving the Spanish to demolish the fountain. Jack remains behind to save Angelica. Syrena appears and gives Jack the chalices. Filling them with the fountain's last drops, Jack tricks the dying Blackbeard to drink from the wrong chalice, thus saving Angelica while her father is reduced to a skeleton.
As Syrena spirits the dying Philip away to the ocean depths, Barbossa takes command of the Queen Anne's Revenge, renouncing his oath of loyalty to Britain (even finding his old pirate hat on board the Revenge), then sets sails for Tortuga. Knowing that Angelica will avenge her father's death, Jack maroons her on a deserted island with a single pistol so she will not starve, though he intends for her to be picked up by a passing ship. Angelica's attempt to bribe then woo her way back into his graces fails, and she wastes her shot shooting at Jack as he rows away. Jack rejoins Gibbs, who used the compass to steal the bottled Black Pearl as planned, along with a fleet of other shrunken ships and Blackbeard's treasure. They then head off on an adventure to restore the Pearl to its original size.
In a post-credits scene, Blackbeard's voodoo doll of Jack washes ashore in front of Angelica. She picks it up, smiling as she realizes she can have her revenge.
List of Pirates of the Caribbean characters
- Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, the former captain of the Black Pearl who is now in search of the Fountain of Youth.
- Penélope Cruz as Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter and First Mate and Sparrow's former love interest.
- Ian McShane as Blackbeard, the pirate captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge who wants to escape a prophecy by finding the Fountain of Youth.
- Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa, a former pirate captain; now a privateer in the court of King George II and captain of the HMS Providence.
- Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, Sparrow's First Mate, associate and best friend.
- Sam Claflin as Philip Swift, a stalwart missionary.
- Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Syrena, a mermaid.
- Greg Ellis as Lt. Cmdr. Theodore Groves, Barbossa's First Officer
- Damian O'Hare as Lieutenant Gillette, Barbossa's Second Officer
- Stephen Graham as Scrum, a pirate serving on the Queen Anne's Revenge.
- Óscar Jaenada as The Spaniard, head of the Spanish Secret Service seeking to destroy the Fountain of Youth
- Gemma Ward as Tamara, the antagonistic queen of mermaids who tries to lure sailors to their death.
- Richard Griffiths as King George II, King of Great Britain
- Bryson Carvalho as Kales Kamen, Blackbeard's Guide and Advisor.
- Keith Richards as Captain Teague, Captain Jack Sparrow's father.
- Richard Allan
- Judi Dench as a noblewoman
- Derek Mears as the Master-at-Arms
- Sebastian Armesto as King Ferdinand VI, the ruler of the Spanish Empire.
- Anton Lesser as Lord John Carteret.
- Roger Allam as Henry Pelham, the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
- Paul Bazely as Salaman
Shortly before the premiere of At World's End, Jerry Bruckheimer stated it was the end of the trilogy, but the idea of a spin-off was still possible. After the film's successful opening weekend, Dick Cook, former Chairman of Walt Disney Studio Entertainment, said he was interested in a fourth installment. On September 25, 2008, during a Disney event at the Kodak Theater, Cook and Johnny Depp, in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume, announced that a fourth Pirates movie had been put into development.
In June 2009, Jerry Bruckheimer stated Disney would prefer the fourth installment of Pirates be released before The Lone Ranger film, which he, Johnny Depp, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio had been working on for release on May 20, 2011. He also hoped Gore Verbinski would return to direct after his BioShock film adaptation had been put on hold. Rob Marshall entered negotiations to direct in August 2009, and was confirmed as the director on November 17, 2009. Hollywood Elsewhere announced a possible steampunk flair in the fourth installment. On September 11, 2009, at Disney's D23 convention, the title was announced as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
In September 2009, Dick Cook resigned after working for Disney for over 38 years. The circumstances of his resignation are unknown, but most speculate he resigned due to his conflicting business tactics with CEO Bob Iger. Iger sought out "new ways of doing business", while Cook remained a traditionalist. After Cook's resignation, Johnny Depp's faith in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides had somewhat shaken, with Depp explaining that "There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment. It was all born in that office". Depp also explained Cook was one of the few who accepted his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, claiming that "When things went a little sideways on the first Pirates movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. He trusted me."
Depp signed on to return as Captain Jack Sparrow in September 2008, saying that he would come back if the script was good. Almost a year later, Disney announced that Depp would be paid $55.5 million to return as Captain Jack Sparrow, realizing that without him the franchise would be "dead and buried." Geoffrey Rush expressed interest in returning to his role as Barbossa, and Bruckheimer later confirmed his presence. Greg Ellis has confirmed that he will be back as Lt. Theodore Groves, and Bruckheimer confirmed that Kevin McNally will be back as Joshamee Gibbs. Previous cast members Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley stated that they would not reprise their roles as they wanted to be involved in different films, and that they thought the Will/Elizabeth storyline had gone as far as it could. On February 5, 2010, Mackenzie Crook also announced he would not be reprising his role of Ragetti, stating, "They haven't asked me. But actually I don't mind that at all. I'm a fan of the first one especially and I think the trilogy we've made is great. I'd almost like them to leave it there."
New cast members include Ian McShane, confirmed to play the notorious pirate and new nemesis Blackbeard, and Penélope Cruz, confirmed to play Angelica, Captain Jack Sparrow's love interest in the film. Cruz's character was previously described as "Jack Sparrow's foil and equal in many ways". Stephen Graham has been confirmed to play Scrum, a Machiavellian pirate, and be the sidekick to Captain Jack Sparrow. On April 14, 2010, Spanish-French actress Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey was confirmed to play a mermaid named Syrena. Australian supermodel Gemma Ward was confirmed to play a Tamara, the villainous Queen of the Mermaids on June 13, 2010. Casting for mermaids required the actresses to have natural breasts, no implants, as Bruckheimer explained to EW, “I don’t think they had breast augmentation in the 1700s So it’s natural for casting people to say, ‘We want real people.'” On April 16, 2010, Sam Claflin was confirmed to play a missionary named Philip, and on May 25, British actor Paul Bazely was confirmed in the cast. Keith Richards reprised his role as Captain Teague from At World's End, and he and Depp tried to persuade Mick Jagger to audition for a pirate elder. Spanish news website El Pais reported that the film had a total of four Spanish actors, which include Penélope Cruz, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Óscar Jaenada, and Juan Carlos Vellido.
In June 2009, Jerry Bruckheimer stated Disney would prefer the fourth installment of Pirates be released before The Lone Ranger film, which he, Johnny Depp, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio had been working on for release on May 20, 2011. He also hoped Gore Verbinski would return to direct after his BioShock film adaptation had been put on hold. Rob Marshall entered negotiations to direct in August 2009, and was confirmed as the director on November 17, 2009. Hollywood Elsewhere announced a possible steampunk flair in the fourth installment. On September 11, 2009, at Disney's D23 convention, the title was announced as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
In September 2009, Dick Cook resigned after working for Disney for over 38 years. The circumstances of his resignation are unknown, but most speculate he resigned due to his conflicting business tactics with CEO Bob Iger. Iger sought out "new ways of doing business", while Cook remained a traditionalist. After Cook's resignation, Johnny Depp's faith in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides had somewhat shaken, with Depp explaining that "There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment. It was all born in that office". Depp also explained Cook was one of the few who accepted his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, claiming that "When things went a little sideways on the first Pirates movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. He trusted me."
Depp signed on to return as Captain Jack Sparrow in September 2008, saying that he would come back if the script was good. Almost a year later, Disney announced that Depp would be paid $55.5 million to return as Captain Jack Sparrow, realizing that without him the franchise would be "dead and buried." Geoffrey Rush expressed interest in returning to his role as Barbossa, and Bruckheimer later confirmed his presence. Greg Ellis has confirmed that he will be back as Lt. Theodore Groves, and Bruckheimer confirmed that Kevin McNally will be back as Joshamee Gibbs. Previous cast members Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley stated that they would not reprise their roles as they wanted to be involved in different films, and that they thought the Will/Elizabeth storyline had gone as far as it could. On February 5, 2010, Mackenzie Crook also announced he would not be reprising his role of Ragetti, stating, "They haven't asked me. But actually I don't mind that at all. I'm a fan of the first one especially and I think the trilogy we've made is great. I'd almost like them to leave it there."
New cast members include Ian McShane, confirmed to play the notorious pirate and new nemesis Blackbeard, and Penélope Cruz, confirmed to play Angelica, Captain Jack Sparrow's love interest in the film. Cruz's character was previously described as "Jack Sparrow's foil and equal in many ways". Stephen Graham has been confirmed to play Scrum, a Machiavellian pirate, and be the sidekick to Captain Jack Sparrow. On April 14, 2010, Spanish-French actress Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey was confirmed to play a mermaid named Syrena. Australian supermodel Gemma Ward was confirmed to play a Tamara, the villainous Queen of the Mermaids on June 13, 2010. Casting for mermaids required the actresses to have natural breasts, no implants, as Bruckheimer explained to EW, “I don’t think they had breast augmentation in the 1700s So it’s natural for casting people to say, ‘We want real people.'” On April 16, 2010, Sam Claflin was confirmed to play a missionary named Philip, and on May 25, British actor Paul Bazely was confirmed in the cast. Keith Richards reprised his role as Captain Teague from At World's End, and he and Depp tried to persuade Mick Jagger to audition for a pirate elder. Spanish news website El Pais reported that the film had a total of four Spanish actors, which include Penélope Cruz, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Óscar Jaenada, and Juan Carlos Vellido.