Pirates in the Movies!

The film rights to the Captain of the Maersk Alabama's story have been nabbed by Columbia Pictures.

Studio, which has also optioned the film rights to Phillips’ upcoming memoir, will bring to the bigscreen the cargo ship captain’s capture by four Somali pirates and subsequent rescue by the U.S. Navy.

Michael DeLuca, Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti and Scott Rudin are onboard to produce. Brunetti, a former member of the Coast Guard, was particularly instrumental in helping land the rights. He flew to the East Coast to meet with Phillips to discuss how the film would be handled.

"We were drawn to this remarkable story of heroism and courage as events were unfolding off the coast of Africa," Col co-prexy Doug Belgrad said.

Pirates in the Movies

I know my news is old, but it's still news, and it's piratey, laugh with me at my bloggish incompetence.
Johnny Depp has re-uped his contract to play Captain Jack Sparrow in the next three sequels, for a signing bonus approximately my net worth multiplied by Eleventy Billion Frillion Dollars.

Also, apparently Russell Brand, who I'd never heard of but apparantly hosted the VMAs this year, has been cast as Captain Jack Sparrow's brother.

Also Paul Greengrass,director of the Bourne Ultimatum, Bloody Sunday and United 93 was/is rumored to be signed on to the Blackbeard Movie announced earlier this summer.

Captain Blood

The director of action hits such as Clear and Present Danger, Catch a Fire and many others, Phillip Noyce is taking on a remake of Captain Blood, the iconic tale of swashbuckling and puffy shirts.

The Academy Award-nominated pirate movie starred Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone and was based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini. Set in the 1600s, it tells the story of a doctor who is convicted for treason against the King of England, sold into slavery and escapes to high seas as a pirate. (The book also was adapted in 1924 by the Vitagraph Co.)

I'm pretty excited, my favorite car-chase/explosion sequence from childhood is from Clear and Present Danger, it's so good it was even repeatedly re-purposed for network TV (JAG used footage from it at least twice).

Also, if you haven't seen Catch a Fire, you should do that right now. I don't care what you're doing. Noyce also directed Rabbit-Proof Fence, which has significantly fewer explosions but deals with very serious subject matter in a hugely interesting and poignant way.

More details as they develop.