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[Captain Pan]

Avast my Hearties and on National Speak Like a Pirate Day.... We get a little problem...

We Could Have a Problem!

Hollywood was shocked Friday afternoon by the sudden dismissal/resignation (take your pick) of  Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, but no one may have taken it harder than Johnny Depp.

Speaking to The Los Angeles Times late at night in London, Depp said Cook's departure had created "a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment" for the project.

Depp, who recently appeared at the first official Disney convention, D23 Expo, to support both his role as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and the new "Pirates" movie, credited Cook with standing by his interpretation of the character Captain Jack Sparrow when others at the studio were questioning his un-Disney like direction.

Depp told the Times, "He's instantly trustworthy. And you generally don't meet people at the studios you trust. He's a rare beast."

The actor also said he currently has a potential deal in place for "Pirates 4" and whether he moves forward or not will depend on how good the script is, but was presently "shocked and sad" over the day's events.

A lifelong employee at Disney, Cook began his career with the company in 1971 when he started as a monorail operator. By 2002, then CEO Michael Eisner made him chairman of the studio, one of the most senior positions in the company.  Unfortunately, the studio side of the operation -- his responsibility -- lost $12 million in the third quarter due to financial disappointments such as "Bedtime Stories" and "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Current CEO Bob Iger blamed the losses on the quality of the overall slate in a conference call with Wall Street investors, but no one in the industry truly believed Cook could loose his job.  Clearly, having hits such as "The Proposal" and "Up" over the summer didn't restore Iger's confidence in the well liked studio chief.

Who will take over Cook's position as studio chairman now and convince stars like Depp to stay in the fold is the $100 million dollar question that will have the town buzzing over the weekend.  Will Pixar head and Disney Animation Chief John Lassiter take the top spot?  Could Kevin Feige, president of production at newly acquired Marvel Studios, really ascend to a position of that stature so quickly?  Could Stacey Snider somehow get out of her DreamWorks deal to run the studio?  Or will it be an unknown who will have an even harder time proving himself to the likes of Jerry Bruckheimer, Richard Zemeckis and Burton?  All are major players with projects or longtime deals at the studio who will be wary of someone without a strong track record.

Needless to say, Cook's replacement and possibly Iger, will have a call to Depp on the top of their list of things to do.

//http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-9-19-breaking-johnny-depp-s-says-he-s-not-as-enthusiastic-for-pirates-of-the-caribbean-4-after-dramatic-turnover-at-disney

[dagobert]

This could turn out as a very big nightmare for Disney. Johnny Depp is angry, Steven Spielberg is angry and maybe the relationships to Tim Burton and Jerry Bruckheimer could suffer. It looks like that the whole Hollywood is angry on Disney.

I really hope for Disney that this will not be the end for all their good relationships to producers in Hollywood. But maybe it is time again that someone kicks Disney in the a.., like Steve Jobs and Pixar did a few years ago.

[mehdi5]

Well Pirates 4 is still on track at the moment. And Johnny's on board, thank god. And read on multiple places that right after Spider-Man 4 got delayed Disney changed the release date to May 2011, even IMDB reports so: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1298650/.

I'm kinda hoping they are considering an Imax release for the 4th one, not 3D in particular but just some Imax sword fighting action :mrgreen:

[The Butlin Boy]

From the Official Walt Disney Pictures Twitter Page:

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES will be released in theaters May 20, 2011

There you aaaaarrrrrrrgh!

[peep]

I feel like a terrible person for laughing at that pun.

It's interesting that they have a release date for it already considering they haven't even started filming yet. Bit eager aren't they?

[dagobert]

Great news. So hopefully filming starts soon. I really want to know, who talked to Johnny Depp to return as Captain Jack after being angry on Disney because of firing Dick Cook.

[Pete's Dragon]

ABC  has spent the past few years adding to Hawaii's cachet as a travel destination by filming Lost there, there's a Disney resort opening next year and now Jerry Bruckheimer & Co. will bring Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to Kaua'i and O'ahu this summer. That's right: Pirates is the movie started by the Dick Cook regime at Disney that new leader Rich Ross can't or won't kill.
The press release from Hawaii governor Linda Lingle and Disney doesn't offer any new details with respect to actors or story points. It does confirm, however, that Rob Marshall is directing. The director had sounded uncertain about the job when asked about it while promoting Nine. Johnny Depp is returning, as are writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio

[pussinboots]

So, it's official, Keira and Orlando aren't going to be in this.

Does this really have the potential to be a success? I'm trying to think of a critically praised sequel that came after a well-rounded trilogy and featured almost no familiar faces besides the main character... But I've got nothing.

This is risky business, that's for sure... Disney could be sacrificing the merchandise's good name for the sake of a sequel here.

[dagobert]

Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz join the cast of PotC - On Stranger Tides.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=63528

McShane will play Blackbeard. Do you know if Barbossa will return in the fourth part? I really hope he does, he is such a great character.

[HildeKitten]

Blackbeard!
Now I'm enthoused for sure (and I was before that too) as Edward Teach is my favorite historical pirate

This is the only movie I'd actually go to the cinema for (I've decided to avoid the cinema like the plague if they don't show Alice in Belgium due to that stupid boycott, but for PotC4 I'll make an exeption ^^)

[Snow_White_Girl]

Do you know if Barbossa will return in the fourth part? I really hope he does, he is such a great character.

He's down in the cast list on imdb but only as "rumoured" so far... so I guess we're still waiting for confirmation on that one!!

I cannot flippin' stand Penelope Cruz though, so that's the worst bit of news ever for me!!

[Annet]

I really hope Barbossa is going to be in it, he's brilliant.
Though I love the PotC trilogy, I do have some doubts if this 4th movie will be able to be as good as the previous 3...

[peep]

I cannot flippin' stand Penelope Cruz though, so that's the worst bit of news ever for me!!

But Penelope Cruz is amazing. How comes you don't like her?

[HildeKitten]

Cruz to play Blackbeard's daughter and Captain Sparrows love interest

Don't know in how far this is true or not, I'm just passing it along.

[Annet]

I read that Geoffrey Rush was confirmed for Pirates 4, I'm glad about that, I love him as Barbossa.