The plot follows the pirate Jack Sparrow (Depp) and the blacksmith Will Turner (Bloom), as they attempt to rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Knightley).

In the early 18th century, Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, sail aboard HMS Dauntless with Lieutenant Norrington and his crew.

This story featured Will Turner as a prison guard who releases Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth, who is being held for ransom by Captain Blackheart.

When Dick Cook managed to convince producer Jerry Bruckheimer to join the project,[15] he rejected Jay Wolpert's script because it was "a straight pirate movie.

[18] Although Cook had been a strong proponent of adapting Disney's rides into films, the box-office failure of The Country Bears (2002) made Michael Eisner attempt to shut down production of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Another change made, was adding The Curse of the Black Pearl as a subtitle, should the film be a hit and lend itself to sequels like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[19][20] Ted Elliott was allegedly writing a George Lucas-produced animated film adaptation of The Curse of Monkey Island, which was cancelled before its official announcement, three years prior to the release of Pirates of the Caribbean.

[22] Gilbert has stated that Tim Powers' 1987 novel On Stranger Tides, which was adapted into the fourth Pirates film, was the principal source of inspiration for his video games.

[24] Stuart Beattie, who drafted early versions of the film's script, said he created the character Jack Sparrow with Hugh Jackman in mind to play the part.

[25] Depp found the script quirky; rather than seeking treasure, the crew of the Black Pearl were trying to return it; also, the traditional mutiny had already taken place.

"[29] Verbinski approached Rush for the role of Barbossa, as he knew he would not play it with attempts at complexity, but with a simple villainy that would suit the story's tone.

[26] Tobey Maguire, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Ben Peyton, Christopher Masterson, Christian Bale, Tom Hiddleston and Heath Ledger were considered for the role of Will Turner.

For budget reasons, the ships were built on docks, with only six days spent in the open sea for the battle between Black Pearl and Interceptor.

[9] The quick shoot was only marred by two accidents: as Sparrow steals Interceptor, three of the ropes attaching it to Dauntless did not break at first, and when they did snap, debris hit Depp's knee.

[43] The script often changed with Elliott and Rossio on set, with additions such as Gibbs (Kevin McNally) telling Will how Sparrow allegedly escaped from an island—strapping two turtles together with rope made of his back hair—and Pryce was written into the climactic battle to keep some empathy for the audience.

Each scene featuring them was shot twice: a reference plate with the actors, and then without them to add in the skeletons,[13] an aesthetic complicated by Verbinski's decision to shoot the battles with handheld cameras.

As a result, he referred Verbinski to Klaus Badelt,[47] a relatively new composer who had been a part of Remote Control Productions, known as Media Ventures at the time, for three years.

[7] The song Elizabeth Swann sings in the opening of the film as a child, and then later on the island marooned with Jack Sparrow, is called "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)'".

[48] The first teaser trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean, in which only one second of actual footage of the film was used, was attached to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as well as Disney's official website on December 17, 2002.

[16] Nonetheless, the studio was confident enough to add The Curse of the Black Pearl subtitle to the film in case sequels were made,[9] and to attract older children.

The Curse of the Black Pearl had its UK television premiere on Christmas Eve 2007 on BBC One at 20:30[56] and was watched by an estimated 7 million viewers.

However, the film's remaster was criticized by various online reviewers for being upscaled from 2K resolution, excessive application of digital noise reduction and various other shortcomings.

[64] It would also outgross another pirate-themed film, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, while staying ahead of the summer's top earner, Disney's own Finding Nemo.

[68] Internationally, Pirates of the Caribbean dominated for seven consecutive weekends at the box office,[69] tying the record of Men in Black II at the time.

However, he felt the film went on for too long,[80] a criticism shared by Kenneth Turan's negative review, feeling it "spends far too much time on its huge supporting cast of pirates (nowhere near as entertaining as everyone assumes) and on bloated adventure set pieces", despite having also enjoyed Depp's performance.

[citation needed] Following the critical and commercial success of The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean became a multimedia franchise encompassing films, books, video games, and theme park attractions.

While The Curse of the Black Pearl was conceived as a standalone film, its writers Elliott and Rossio turned it into the first of a trilogy, in which two back-to-back sequels were released: Dead Man's Chest in 2006 and At World's End in 2007.

A short film created as a prequel to The Curse of the Black Pearl, titled Tales of the Code: Wedlocked, was directed by James Ward Byrkit, who was a creative consultant for Gore Verbinski in the Pirates trilogy.

[88][89] With the stories of both Will and Elizabeth resolved, and both Bloom and Knightley declining involvement in a fourth film, a stand-alone sequel was developed focusing on the further adventures of Sparrow.

[92][93] The screenwriter Jeff Nathanson was hired, along with the directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, who were quoted as being inspired by The Curse of the Black Pearl.