We recently posted some set photos of Johnny Depp in costume as Tonto in Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger; one of those photos featured a gently-used railroad caboose.  In a new batch of set photos, that railroad car is central to a practical stunt sequence that involves Depp and the Lone Ranger himself, Armie Hammer.  As a bonus, we’ve included a video that lets you see the duo in action during the stunt (sort of).  While no horses were involved in the train car stunt, we do have some shots of Depp and Hammer with their respective steeds.  Hit the jump to check them out. The Lone Ranger rides into theaters July 3rd, 2013. 

As a fan of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, it’s going to be tough to find a bigger disappointment in 2011 than Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  While it would be reasonable to expect that the sequel may not be as good as the original trilogy, the extent to which the film misunderstands story, pacing, action scenes, its own history, and its main characters, is mind-boggling.  The film does almost nothing right and it’s a tedious chore that sails through gigantic plotholes, lazy screenwriting, poor characterization, and reduces the scale and creativity of the previous films.  I would rather be cursed by the Aztecs, spend 100 years before the mast serving aboard the Flying Dutchman, and get devoured by a kraken than endure another viewing of On Stranger Tides.

As the producer of over seventy movies and TV shows, you’ve all seen something made by mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer. But if you don’t recognize the name, maybe you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, C.S.I., The Amazing Race, or Cold Case. To put it simply, Bruckheimer’s a big deal.

As you might imagine, someone who produces so many movies and TV shows is quite busy.  But a few months ago, on the London set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Bruckheimer took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a number of questions about how the production had been going.  He also addressed why they decided to shoot in 3D and the challenges of the format, how he’s been enjoying Twitter (follow him here), how new Pirates director Rob Marshall got the job, how they already have ideas for Pirates 5, how does he have the time to watch over everything, and he gave us updates on Lone Ranger and the National Treasure franchise.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview:

Last October, I got to visit the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while the production was filming at Pinewood Studios outside London.  Even though we were told that Johnny Depp would not have the time to do any interviews as he was in all the shots that day, before one of the set ups, he had a few minutes and he answered a some quick questions about how filming had been going and what it was like to work with Penelope Cruz and new Pirates director Rob Marshall.  For what he said, hit the jump:

A few months ago I got to visit the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while the production was filming at Pinewood Studios outside London.  While there, I was able to participate in roundtable interviews with a lot of the cast, as well as screenwriter Terry Rossio.  As one of the creators of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, along with his writing partner Ted Elliott, Rossio has been writing Captain Jack Sparrow since the first film, so it was very cool to hear his thoughts on how the movies have been going and the challenges of making the 4th film great.

What I really liked about Rossio was how honest he was about the writing of a big Hollywood blockbuster.  While you’d like to think everyone involved would have the time to make everything perfect before filming begins, he explained that once the studio figures out a release date, it’s full speed ahead and things change all the time based on the stars and budget.   If you’re interested in writing movies, I think you’ll learn a lot about the process reading or listening to this interview.  Hit the jump to check it out:

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is sitting at a huge dining room table in a equally huge room.  The table is in the center, and there is tons of space on every side.  The walls are opulent.  Guards are in the back of the room. Sitting across from Sparrow is King George II (Richard Griffiths) and nearby is Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) – who is now a privateer.   Even though Jack Sparrow has been captured, you can’t help but think this is exactly where he wants to be as he’s heard the King has the map to the Fountain of Youth.  After some back and forth discussions, Sparrow is going to end up with the map, and his escape plan will be put into action.

Let me back up a second.

A few months ago, I got to visit the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while the production was filming at Pinewood Studios outside London.  While on set I got to see the many stages that were built for the movie, interview most of the cast, and speak with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and screenwriter Terry Rossio.  As a big fan of the Pirates movies, I have to say it was incredibly cool to see the huge production up close.  Also, while I was unsure if a 4th film was necessary as I was let down by the 3rd, everything I learned on set tells me that the filmmakers understood the problems of the 2nd and 3rd films and this new chapter will capture the magic of the first.  I left London excited by what I saw and I’m truly looking forward to May 20, which is the release date of On Stranger Tides.  For more on the set visit (which includes an epic two part video blog), hit the jump:

When DreamWorks SKG was formed, former Disney Animation guru Jeffery Katzenberg was intent on making animated films at his newly created movie studio. By 2000, the studio already had two animated films under their belt (Antz and The Prince of Egypt) and their focus was on 2D animation. While Katzenberg was determined to re-capture the 2D animation magic he enjoyed while at Disney, a handful of animators were working on the “ugly duckling” film of the studio: a weird little picture called Shrek. Fast-forward to the critical and financial disaster that was The Road to El Dorado in the midst of Pixar’s wild success with 3D animated films, and everyone’s attention focused on the only 3D film the studio had in the pipeline, Shrek.

What began as a laborious project, on which animators were sent to work as punishment, suddenly became the studio’s saving grace.  Witty, edgy, and ballsy as hell, Shrek was the anti-Disney film; a giant middle finger from Jeffery Katzenberg to those at Disney that had ousted him so suddenly. An instant smash-hit, the film spawned the studio’s first franchise and a merchandising cash-cow. Now, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After are available together on Blu-ray for the first time. My review of the Shrek: The Whole Story box set after the jump.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides co-writer Terry Rossio took to his message board for screenwriters [via ThePlaylist] yesterday to debunk Monday’s story about Disney cutting the budget on the franchise’s fourth installment.  On the message board (which he shares with writing partner Ted Elliott), Rossio (who, with Elliott, wrote all of the Pirates films) denounced the piece as a hit job that took normal production considerations and spun them into a story about budget troubles.

Rossio explains that he suspects the budget to come in around the realm of Dead Man’s Chest ($225 million), which is less than At World’s End ($300 million), but much more than Curse of the Black Pearl ($140 million).  He also explains that the filmmakers are still determining whether or not to shoot in 3D.  But, I’ll agree with what Jerry Bruckheimer said in the LA Times article: “the audience will never miss it.”

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20, 2011.