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FEATURE: On the set of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
POSTED ON 10/25/05 AT 9:30 A.M.
BY ETHAN AAMES




By Eric Williamson in Los Angeles

Shared on both the Disney Studios lot and the Universal Studios lot,
the sets of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" are both
wondrous and mysterious. Since they were in their first shooting
weeks, we were not told much about the film itself, but from what we
saw of some of the costumes and sets, the next two Pirates movies are
going to have a good chance of being just as good as the first one.
The film has an expected release date of July 7, 2006.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, "Dead Man's Chest" will have the
return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom as
William Turner, and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swan. Will Turner
and Miss Swan are going to be married, or so they think. Captain
Sparrow is going to spoil their blissful plans because he finds out
that he owes a blood debt to Davey Jones, Captain of the Flying
Dutchman and ruler of the ocean depths. Sparrow must find a way to
repay his debt or end up serving Jones in an afterlife of complete
servitude.

The first set we were able to see was one of the decks of Davey
Jones' ship, The Flying Dutchman. Covered in coral growths, wet sand,
and rust, this deck looked like it was actually on the bottom of the
ocean for decades. Mist was still swirling around our heads as we
entered the enclosed deck. It was small and smelled of wet wood and
decay, but nonetheless was very detailed and convincing of extreme
old age.

As we left the set we had a chance to see Stellan Skarsgard, who will
be playing "Boot Straps" Bill Turner. We didn't have a chance to talk
with him about his role, but we did see him in his full costume, but
only for a split second. Rom what I saw, Skarsgard was wearing a
large trench coat with pieces of coral sticking out of it and his
face was extremely pale. Again the detail was exquisite. There were
also some set pictures on a board over to the side of the set that
showed him peering over Orlando Blooms shoulder.

The next area we visited was The Bayou. Yes, a replica of the one
from the ride. The water was murky, the houses looked as if they were
not sturdy enough for me to stand on, let alone an entire camera
crew. Hesitantly, I meandered through the house of Tia Dalma, played
by Naomie Harris ("28 Days Later"). Dalma is a soothsayer who will be
visited by Sparrow, Will Turner, and Miss Swan. Her house was old and
rickety with a gorgeous view of the rest of the bayou. The greenery
that surrounded the set was halfway through being torn down, so we
didn't get to see it in its full awe, but it was still a beautiful
set that looked like they pulled it right from the ride itself. It is
unconfirmed that other sections from the ride will be brought to the
screen, but from what we saw of the bayou, I can tell you that they
will be nothing short of spectacular.

My favorite set that we saw was the Captain's Quarters of the Black
Pearl, Captained by Jack Sparrow. The entrance door was still blown
off from the fight in Curse of the Black Pearl. Everything was
covered with blankets, so like any good group of reporters, we pulled
off the blankets to see what was there. The entire quarters were made
from mahogany for a realistic look. For those of you who don't know,
mahogany is extremely expensive to build with for a set and it is
also heavier than what they would normally use. However, in order to
achieve that realistic look, they bit the bullet and went with
mahogany. Above the dining table were glass panels. A representative
of the film told us they actually imported custom made glass from
Germany to match the time period of when the ship was built.

Now the ships are not just sets, there are actually five working life-
size ships being used. The Black Pearl, The Flying Dutchman, the
Edinburgh Trader (a merchant ship), and two others whose names we
were not given.

The final set we visited was the Port Royal Jail and from a distance,
in the same set, one of the decks of the Edinburgh Trader. The jail
is a new one considering the first one was blown away by the attack
from the pirates in the first movie, but to calm everyone's nerves,
the dog with the keys in its mouth will be making a return to the big
screen. I know you were all concerned about that. When I entered one
of the cells, I didn't realize how small the doors were and I whacked
my head on the top bar. It's definitely made of steel. The producers
spared no expense on that aspect. From a distance, the Captain's
quarters of the Edinburgh Trader were being stripped away, but we
received confirmation that it was gloriously breathtaking.

From sets to props to costumes, the set designers went all-out on
this one. Keep up with updates from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man's Chest" on Cienma Confidential, coming soon.