Steven Spielberg has always wanted to make a pirate movie, and he's looking to Michael Crichton, now deceased, to help him. The film is based on Crichton's upcoming novel, "Pirate Latitudes", which will be posthumously released Nov. 24th, is more grounded in reality than Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. Best of all, David Koepp, the writer who adapted Crichton's "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World" for the big screen, is back to pen the new film. More about the movie after the jump:
USA Today reports that "Pirates Latitude", along with "Next", is one of two novels that were found on Crichton's computer after he passed away from cancer last November. Spielberg will produce, and may even direct the film. This comes on the heels of an announcement last week that Spielberg was finally able to secure $825 million in financing for his DreamWorks Studios.
"Michael wrote a real page-turner that already seems suited for the big screen," Spielberg said of "Pirate Latitudes" to USA Today. "Michael and I have had almost two decades of solid collaborations. Whenever I made a film from a Michael Crichton book or screenplay, I knew I was in good hands. Michael felt the same, and we like to think he still does."
"Pirates Latitude" is described as a mission and infiltration movie. You know, a group of pirates try to break into a really well-guarded island to get a bunch of treasure, then face even more trouble once they get there. It sounds exciting. I can't wait to see a real pirate movie--one that isn't full of Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp. "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" is slated for a 2011 release. Here's the official description from Michael Crichton's website.
The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Devoid of London's luxuries, Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses. In this steamy climate, life can end swiftly by dysentery or dagger. But for a daring soul like Captain Edward Hunter, this wild outpost in the New World can also lead to great fortune, if he abides by the island's code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of England, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.
Word in port is that the Spanish galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in nearby Matanceros. Heavily fortified, the impregnable Spanish harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of King Philip IV. With the Jamaican governor's backing, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer the galleon and its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of Matanceros legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he makes it onto the island's shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure.
With the help of his cunning band, Hunter hijacks El Trinidad and escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla, leaving plenty of carnage in his wake. But the danger and adventure are only just beginning. . .
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