Related: POTC Almost Had A Darker Ending With Will On The Gallows
Unbeknownst to Will, the pirates are immortal, becoming skeletons in the moonlight. The film follows blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) as he unites with the devious Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to rescue socialite Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from the infamous Black Pearl. Nevertheless, Disney was convinced to persevere with the project, and Pirates of the Caribbean was a massive hit whose first two sequels were shot back-to-back. Pirate movies hadn’t been successful for 50 years and Disney didn't have a stellar track record of adapting their theme park rides. The swashbuckling blockbuster went on to launch a multi-billion-dollar franchise, yet Disney initially doubted the film’s prospects. Franchise starter Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearlis considered the best film in the pentalogy, but director Gore Verbinski hated the subtitle.
