Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
2011 fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall
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- Penélope Cruz was the only choice for the role of Angelica. She agreed to the role without reading the script.
- Megan Fox was considered for the role of Syrena.
- As in the previous "Pirates" movies, Barbossa's penchant for apples is glimpsed in this one as well - this time, he treats himself to an apple wedge at his captain's table aboard The Providence.
- This was the first film to be released in the 4DX format in Mexico and in the Western Hemisphere, which is only available at select Cinépolis theaters. 4DX features strobe lights, tilting seats, blowing wind and fog and odor effects.
- The outdoor entrance to the Fountain of Youth is the Waikapala'e Wet Cave on the north shore of Kauai. Analogous to the film's magical watery passage to The Fountain of Youth, the cave holds a real submerged (depending on water level) passage through which explorers can travel in order to reach an isolated chamber known as "The Blue Room." Some Hawaiians tell of an actual pirate treasure found hidden in "The Blue Room" by the original discoverers. The pirate treasure (if it ever existed) is gone, but the cave and chamber remain a natural treasure, still accessible to intrepid explorers.
- Penélope Cruz was pregnant throughout production, but it wasn't noticeable until September, 2010. As Penélope's baby bump grew, it caused some difficulties in wardrobe, so the producers enlisted the help of Cruz's younger sister, Mónica Cruz. According to reports, Penélope filmed the close-up shots, while Mónica doubled for her in the long-distance scenes as the wardrobe department had struggled to hide the pregnancy.
- As of May 20, 2011, this installment has the shortest run-time of the "Pirates" series, which is 136 minutes.
- Blackbeard says that his quartermaster sees things before they happen. This is an oblique reference to the character of Fedallah in the novel Moby Dick, the source of various prophecies about the death of his captain.
- The only "Pirates of the Caribbean" film to not receive any Oscar nominations.
- The real life pirate Blackbeard did indeed have a ship called the Queen Anne's Revenge. It was a vessel that he'd captured from the French navy and renamed.
- The film does make an actual reference to Blackbeard's historical death, of which he was beheaded and then had his head hung from the bow of his own ship.
- The film budget had to be scaled down to no more than $200 million (the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End budget was close to $250 million). This was mandated by studio president Rich Ross (who replaced the fired Dick Cook) in addition to the then 2008 economic slowdown in the US.
- Jerry Bruckheimer gave a strict casting instruction to casting directors that actresses auditioning for the mermaid roles must have natural breasts. During shooting of their scenes, they were not allowed outside until dusk in order to avoid spoil of makeup.
- At the request of Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Kahn did some editing work on the first three months of production but had to leave due to commitments to Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse movies. He was uncredited.
- When Phillip (Sam Claflin) is tied up to the mass, a pirate says to him, "Either you're with us or against us." - echoing former president George W. Bush's quote on the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
- Sam Claflin (Phillip) and Ian McShane (Blackbeard) had previously starred together in The Pillars of the Earth.
- Alfred Molina was considered for the role of Blackbeard.
- During filming in London a 'Jack Sparrow' impersonator just walked onto the set. The guards did not think to ask for any ID as he looked so much like the character (Reported in the English papers)
- Blackbeard's ship, The Queen Anne's Revenge, is actually a modified version of The Black Pearl, one of the vital ships in the series. The Sunset, as it is called in real life, was used in the latter two parts of the first trilogy and in 2010 redesigned to portray the Queen Anne's Revenge in this installment. The biggest change was above deck. The back was cut off to deck level and rebuilt again in two stories.
- The name of 'Syrena' means mermaid in Spanish. The origin of 'Syrena' is Greek, from Homer's epic Odyssey. The songs of 'syrenas' used to lure sailors to their island where they were killed.
- 'Penelope Cruz' was the only choice for the role of Angelica. She agreed to the role without reading the script.
- As Jack enters the Santiago, the camera flashes to a skeletal Ponce de Leon laying on a bed, surrounded by treasure. This is a reference to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland where guests see a skeletal pirate captain laying in bed, surrounded by treasure.
- Barbossa's ship, the Providence, was portrayed by the HMS Surprise, part of the collection of ships of the Maritime Museum of San Diego (www.sdmaritime.org), where it is open daily to Museum visitors. To sail the ship during the filming, Disney hired a crew from among volunteers and staff of the Maritime Museum. Surprise is a 179' full-rigged ship. She was built in Nova Scotia in 1970 from original Admiralty plans for the 1757 British 24-gun frigate HMS Rose, for which she was originally named. The ship was purchased in 2001 by 20th Century Fox and modified to serve as the HMS Surprise, under the command of fictional Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The Maritime Museum of San Diego purchased the ship from Fox Studios in 2004, and retained her movie name. In both of her names the prefix "HMS" (meaning Her (or His) Majesty's Ship) is an honorary rather than an official designation, since she does not hold a royal warrant.
- Johnny Depp bought new water proof jackets for 500 crew members on the set to protect them from the cold weather. He spent a total of $64,200 from his own pocket.