<P> In June 2002 Gore Verbinski signed on to direct The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush signed on the following month to star . Verbinski was attracted to the idea of using modern technology to resurrect a genre, one that had disappeared after the Golden Age of Hollywood, and recalled his childhood memories of the ride, feeling the film was an opportunity to pay tribute to the "scary and funny" tone of it . Depp was attracted to the story as he found it quirky: rather than trying to find treasure, the crew of the Black Pearl were trying to return it in order to lift their curse; also, the traditional mutiny had already taken place . Verbinski approached Rush for the role of Barbossa, as he knew he would not play it with attempts at complexity, but with a simple villainy that would suit the story's tone . Orlando Bloom read the script after Rush, with whom he was working on Ned Kelly, suggested it to him . Keira Knightley came as a surprise to Verbinski: he had not seen her performance in Bend It Like Beckham and was impressed by her audition . Tom Wilkinson was negotiated with to play Governor Swann, but the role went to Jonathan Pryce, whom Depp idolized . </P> <P> Shooting for The Curse of the Black Pearl began on October 9, 2002 and wrapped by March 7, 2003 . Before its release, many executives and journalists had expected the film to flop, as the pirate genre had not been successful for years, the film was based on a theme - park ride, and Depp rarely made a big film . However, The Curse of the Black Pearl became both a critical and commercial success . </P> <P> After seeing how well the first film was made, the cast and crew signed for two sequels to be shot back - to - back, a practical decision on Disney's part to allow more time with the same cast and crew . Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio knew that with an ensemble cast, they weren't free to invent totally different situations and characters, as with the Indiana Jones and James Bond series, and so had to retroactively turn The Curse of the Black Pearl into the first of a trilogy . They wanted to explore the reality of what would happen after Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's embrace at the end of the first film, and initially considered the Fountain of Youth as the plot device . They settled on introducing Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken, a mythology mentioned twice in the first film . They introduced the historical East India Trading Company (also mentioned in the first film), which for them represented a counterpoint to the themes of personal freedom represented by pirates . </P> <P> Filming for the sequels began on February 28, 2005, with Dead Man's Chest finishing on March 1, 2006, and At World's End on January 10, 2007 . The second film was also the first Disney theatrical feature film with the computer - generated Walt Disney Pictures logo . </P>

How many pirates of the carribbean films are there