It’s safe to say at this point that the dramas facing the production of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales are more entertaining than the film itself will turn out to be.
Things have been so hectic that at this point, we’ve pretty much used up all our pirate puns, meaning you, dear reader, will be spared any more jokes about smooth sailing and keelhauling from here on out.
To refresh your memory a bit: First, star Johnny Depp injured his hand over the course of filming, requiring a trip home to the US for surgery, during which time a large number of the crew were stood down.
Depp was allegedly late in returning to the film’s Gold Coast set after said trip, causing further delays to production.
Then, of course, there was the story that gripped the world’s media last week, when canine outlaws Pistol and Boo had to be flown out of Australia at great expense after Depp smuggled them in illegally.
Had Depp chosen to return to LA with the dogs, the film would reportedly have faced a $250,000-per-day delay; he stayed, but according to a piece today in News Limited, the new Pirates has already gone way over-budget.
“Sources on the set” – who certainly sound official enough, right? – are claiming that the film, originally budgeted at US $250 million, has ballooned in costs to $320 million, with 14 weeks left to shoot on the Gold Coast.
A good chunk of this was allegedly accrued while Depp was in Los Angeles, having a pin inserted into his finger. “Johnny is in almost every scene of the film so there was little that could be done while he was away,” News Limited’s source said.
At this stage, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides holds the record for the most expensive film ever produced, coming in at a fairly staggering US $378.5 million.
That film grossed over a billion dollars at the international box office, though, so the incentive to make another is still pretty clear, even if it does end up costing way more than expected, which it seems it might.
In case you’re hanging out for a Pistol and Boo pupdate, America doesn’t consider Australia to be a rabies-free zone (burn), so Depp’s Yorkshire Terriers are reportedly facing a “rigorous” customs inspection on return.
Pray for Pistol and Boo. Pray for Pirates 5. Pray for us all.
