Cornwall in Focus News

Sparrow to sort out seagulls

Published 02 Mar 10 18:14

Cornwall has always been known for its high cliffs and dramatic coastline. Countless wrecks litter its shores. Hundreds of mariners lie in coastal graveyards - some even say that they were lured ashore with false lights by the 'wreckers' and smugglers of times gone by.

Now, if recent rumours are to be believed a band of scurvy seadogs are heading for St. Ives in West Cornwall. The town always a hit with holidaymakers, could play host to Johnny Depp, Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz in the coming months. The American actor recently at Antony House in South East Cornwall to film Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland', where he portrayed the Mad Hatter has agreed a £21 million package to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in another Pirates of The Caribbean movie.

The film, to be called 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides', will be the fourth film in the series. Head of Production at Disney, Mr. Oren Aviv has publicly stated that that the movie will approach the pirate topic from a new angle. Some people are speculating, that the new approach will be a kind of prequel, which in itself, may spawn a new series of pirate films. Cast members already confirmed are Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow and Ian McShane as Blackbeard. Other unconfirmed reports state that Penelope Cruz and Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa) may also appear.

Locations for the film have already been chosen at Kaua'i and O'ahu in Hawaii. Indeed, the Black Pearl, the ship from the films, has recently been spotted there. The seaside town of St Ives, in Cornwall is also rumoured to be on the shooting schedule according to some reports. Local film bodies such as South West Screen, could not confirm any definite plans for production of the film in Cornwall, however. There are also reports that Johnny Depp was apparently spotted in St Ives a few weeks ago - but once again there is no definitive proof.

The mayor of St. Ives, Yvonne Watson, recently said "It would obviously be a massive boost for the town, as it always is when a production company comes to film. It's not just the hotels and restaurants which benefit, it's the shops as well - it would really put St Ives on the world map."

The film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer could be based on the novel of the same name by Tim Powers in which Blackbeard and his magicians transport unfortunate sailors to 'dream-like lands' in the search for the Fountain of Youth. Neither Keira Knightley nor Orlando Bloom will appear in this next film, which is due out on May 20, 2011. Filming starts in Hawaii in June 2010.

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