New York, Conrad Hotel.
The first cast and crew meeting for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Most of the team were familiar faces:
Director Gore Verbinski was back at the helm, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer still calling the shots.
The three main stars remained the same: Luke, Johnny Depp, and Anne Hathaway.
In the hotel's meeting room, Depp and Anne were already there, chatting it up.
"Depp, great to see you! How've you been?" Anne asked with a smile.
"Oh, please. You're not thrilled to see me—you're waiting for a certain someone else. I know my place," Depp said with a sly grin.
"Why would I be excited to see him? He's already got a girlfriend!"
"I didn't name names! Sounds like you're spilling the tea on yourself."
"You're the worst! I don't know what woman would ever put up with you," Anne shot back.
"Well, I just met this girl, Amber Heard. She's something special. I'm starting to think I'm falling hard," Depp said.
"I know her—a small-time TV actress, just breaking out. You really into her?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, she's gorgeous. Feels like we're meant to be," Depp said, all dreamy.
"If it's just a fling, I won't judge. But if you're serious, maybe run it by Luke first. The guy's got a knack for reading people—never misses," Anne suggested.
"True, but where is that guy?" Depp asked, glancing around.
"He just flew back from Japan. Bob went to pick him up from the airport. They should be here any minute," Anne replied.
"I bet he was in Japan visiting a little sidepiece. Don't let that girlfriend thing fool you—word is, he's got a few girls on the hook. Like, I heard there's this tall, blonde, up-and-coming singer who's real cozy with him," Depp said, dropping his voice like he was sharing state secrets.
"No way! Are you serious?" Anne's eyes widened.
"Why do you look so excited? I thought you'd be crushed, like your idol just fell off his pedestal," Depp teased.
"I'm just curious! I figured only guys like you were players. Who knew Luke, with his big ol' honest eyes, was a ladies' man too?" Anne said, smirking.
"Hold up—how come when I play the field, I'm a sleaze, but when he does it, he's a 'ladies' man'? That's not fair!" Depp protested.
"Because he's got every woman swooning and ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. When he's on set, pulling off those jaw-dropping stunts like some kind of superhero, every woman falls for his guts and grit. A guy like that? He could have a whole fleet of ships, and it's just what he deserves!" Anne declared.
"Damn, that logic's so twisted it almost makes sense! When I saw him at 30,000 feet—uh, crap, I'm not supposed to talk about that. Let's just say, in that moment, I thought if I were a woman, I'd be head over heels too," Depp said, catching himself.
"What? What happened at 30,000 feet?" Anne pressed, leaning in.
Anne, who hadn't been part of King of Espionage, had no clue about Luke's insane stunt, braving a thunderstorm with minimal gear.
Depp, bound by an NDA, couldn't spill the beans—not even to a close friend like Anne.
Creak…
Right then, the meeting room door swung open.
Luke and Bob strolled in.
"Long time no see!" Luke said, pulling Verbinski into a quick bro-hug.
The two had started off rocky when filming the first Pirates. Verbinski hadn't been sold on him at first.
But after everything that went down, they'd become solid friends, and working together was a blast.
Now, teaming up for the second Pirates? That was something to celebrate.
"Heard you blew everyone's minds on King of Espionage. I know a lot's under wraps, but between you and me—can the action in Pirates 2 top what you did there?" Verbinski asked with a grin.
"It can…" Luke paused for effect, "not!"
"Son of a—!" Verbinski laughed, shaking his head at the fake-out.
"It's not about playing favorites," Luke explained. "King of Espionage was all about heart-pounding, high-altitude action. Pirates 2 leans into fantasy effects and sharp humor. Totally different vibes, so the action's designed differently."
"Fair point, but I'm still a little worried," Verbinski said.
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"What's got you spooked, Director? Lay it on me," Luke said.
"I get that Pirates 2 is about effects and laughs—I'm with you there," Verbinski said. "But here's the thing: you're the heart of this movie, at least for this one. Your brand is so strong that audiences come expecting epic action scenes. If we don't deliver, that gap could tank our rep. Fans might feel let down and rip us apart in reviews."
Luke nodded hard, totally getting it.
Verbinski wasn't wrong. Jackie Chan ran into this exact problem all the time.
Every time he tried to switch things up, even if the movie was great in every other way, if it skimped on standout action, it'd flop hard. Fans felt cheated.
They showed up for jaw-dropping stunts. Skip those, and they'd turn on you.
A strong personal brand was a double-edged sword.
It could make you a legend—or box you in.
Luke knew he'd face the same issue.
Truth be told, he'd already hit some snags working on the Pirates 2 script.
The big catch? He didn't dare mess with the core framework of the screenplay.
In its original run, it'd been a proven box-office smash. If he tinkered too much, he risked a flop.
So, he had to keep the heart of Pirates 2—killer visuals and witty humor—intact.
Only then could he make small tweaks and add his own flair.