Interview with Jerry Bruckheimer

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer could be seen as something of a modern day pirate in the sense that he has invaded and conquered prime television with hits like C.S.I., The Amazing Race, Cold Case and Without A Trace. And this after he conquered Hollywood with too many hits to name. Yet it is all dwarfed by the accomplishments of the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy, which has succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations and promises to live on for generations to come.

In the following Q&A, he provides some insight into the making of what could be the final Pirates film, At World’s End.

Q: It’s been suggested that the Pirates trilogy is really old-fashioned movie making at its best; a throwback, in a sense. Do you agree with that?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: It is, but we still have to add the visual effects to it. In the old days you didn’t have to do much of that. The way effects elements were added made things second or third generation in terms of quality, and now everything is first generation which looks beautiful. But the storytelling is old-fashioned in a way and so is the way Gore [Verbinski] has filmed them.

Q: It seems like you tried to shoot as much of it as you could on the set or, in this case, on the sea.

JERRY: We definitely did. That was important to us.

Q: Which is definitely going against the trend of modern moviemaking.

JERRY: Well, it depends on the movie and the director. Some directors much prefer doing it on the stage rather than on the computer with visual effects.

Q: Based on the DVD documentaries, it seemed as though the story like everything else was in a state of evolution throughout the making of the second film. Was the same true on the third?

JERRY: It constantly evolves. The writers are on the set all the time, the actors have wonderful ideas, so we’re constantly making corrections and additions to what we are filming. So it’s always changing.

Q: There’s not a lot out there on the story for At World’s End. What can you tell us about it?

JERRY: It’s basically the quest to find Jack Sparrow. Once they do find him, each character has an agenda. Will wants to find his father and save his father. Elizabeth wants to be with Will and Jack doesn’t ever want to go back to Davy Jones’ locker. So they each are working with their own agenda. And of course Beckett is wanting to control the seas, which with control of Davy Jones [by having Davy Jones’ heart] he has. He’s devouring the pirates, so it’s the pirates’ last stand amongst all the individual characters and what each character wants to accomplish.

Q: Based on the trailer, you’ve got a coming together of different pirates from around the world.

JERRY: That’s right. They’re trying to protect the seas from Beckett and Davy Jones and save their kind from extinction.

Q: When I spoke to writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott last year, they made it pretty clear that At World’s End truly was the end; that a fourth film would have to represent a drastic change in approach.

JERRY: I think what we tried to accomplish in At World’s End is that this is the end of the trilogy; this is the end of the story. We’ve taken Will from being this naïve young blacksmith and turned him into this adventurer; and Elizabeth from being this young, beautiful governor’s daughter to the point where she’s almost a pirate; and Captain Jack, of course, being Captain Jack, always looking out for himself and trying to get the Black Pearl. This will be the end of that particular story with these characters. So if a Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 was to happen, it would have to be something very different.

Q: When you look back at the Pirates trilogy, what’s your feeling about what was able to be accomplished in its making?

JERRY: It’s really exciting, because you go into these things and you never know what you’re going to end up with. I knew I had a world-class filmmaker and a world-class cast and screenwriters, and when you put that kind of creative energy together you usually get some explosive things, and that’s exactly what happened with Pirates. It all comes down to the talent, both in front of the camera and behind the camera.

Q: Did it surpass your expectations from when you began?

JERRY: I never have expectations. I hope for the best and expect the worst. I go in with the hope that we’ll survive and, of course, we did more than survive.

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