Swashbuckling Good Time at Pirates of Carribean Premiere

Posted on June 28, 2006

Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom strike a pose at the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. From all accounts, the premiere was a great deal of fun. Held at Disneyland, the premiere was held in the park iteself, with all the rides open. Keira Knightley threated to ride the flume in her Chanel dress, but let's hope she was kidding.

The event was a virtual redo of the 2003 Disneyland premiere for the first Pirates pic, with a few exceptions - notably the attendance this time of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver, close friends of the film's producer, Jerry Bruckheimer. Shriver shocked with an eye-popping T-shirt: Michelangelo's David, bedazzled with purple gems over the famed statue's privates.

Outside the park, guests passed picketers from the Caribbean, protesting the film's portrayal of their people as cannibals. "I love that," an unfazed Bruckheimer said. "But the movie's make-believe." Star Johnny Depp made hundreds of fans happy by signing autographs for almost three hours. He then dashed down the carpet, waved to fans and boarded a pirate ship with his co-stars. The ship cruised around Tom Sawyer Island, stopping in front of a giant screen, where the film played until midnight and was followed by a fireworks display.

Screenwriter Terry Rossio revealed the likely title of the third Pirates film, due Memorial Day: At World's End, which ties to the film's cliffhanger ending. "It's the pirates' last stand; the end of an era," Rossio said of the third, which sees the introduction of Chow Yun-Fat as a Chinese pirate. The Caribbean scenes have all been shot, but the cast will reunite in late July and August to shoot interiors. in Disneyland's Pirates ride next year.

Chow Yun-Fat is going to be a Chinese pirate? What a great casting idea; we love it.