In an exclusive today, Hitfix.com is reporting that Disney plans to shoot the next two installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean series concurrently. And judging from the success of “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End,” movies 2 and 3 in the wildly successful franchise which were also shot back-to-back, the company may be onto something.
Filming for the fourth Pirates movie, “On Stranger Tides,” has just wrapped. Based upon the move to quickly film two more installments, Disney is obviously expects the fourth movie to be just as successful as the first three.
Producing the movies concurrently should minimize scheduling conflicts for the movie’s biggest star as well. Johnny Depp, who plays Captain Jack Sparrow in the series, is already committed to at least two other projects in 2011, one of which, “The Lone Ranger,” is also a Disney film.
But in addition to practicality, the strategy should result in a cohesive look and feel to the next two movies – something that we’ve seen in “Pirates” 2 and 3, as well as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which employed a similar filming schedule.
No word on when filming will begin or what the stories might be. Look for that information as the studio begins to promote “On Stranger Tides,” due in theatres May 20, 2011.
