"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was strategically scheduled to capitalize on Memorial Day weekend, a long holiday weekend in the USA. Disney had high expectations for the film's box office performance, which would be released on May 25th in over 4,300 theaters across North America, surpassing the record set by "Spider-Man 3" earlier that month by 110 theaters.
Leading up to the premiere, a series of positive news stories emerged. For instance, Johnny Depp claimed he would marry his girlfriend Vanessa if the film succeeded at the box office. There was a report of a Japanese fan fainting from excitement after seeing Johnny Depp in Tokyo for promotions. North American critics praised Johnny Depp's performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, calling it extraordinary.
Compared to the previous two films, while Matthew and Keira Knightley also participated in a series of promotional activities, Disney's marketing strategy focused primarily on Johnny Depp and his character, Captain Jack Sparrow. The reason was simple: Disney injected excitement into pirate fans worldwide by announcing that famous producer Jerry Bruckheimer was planning "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," and Johnny Depp had agreed to continue playing Captain Jack Sparrow.
Matthew and Keira Knightley's roles were not mentioned, but it was clear to many that Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann would exit the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.
On the day of the premiere, California's Disneyland was packed. These were not regular tourists but "pirate fans" who had lined up early in the morning for the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Following the global pirate craze ignited by the first two films, Matthew, Johnny Depp, and Keira Knightley once again gathered at Disneyland.
The premiere was a grand spectacle, with thousands of fans arriving as early as 6 AM. Some even queued up the night before outside Disneyland just to see Johnny Depp and Matthew. Many fans dressed as pirates, wielding toy swords, celebrating the release of the new film.
Loud cheers erupted from both sides of the long red carpet, with the loudest reserved for Johnny Depp and Matthew, whose appearances drove the fans wild. Disney also arranged for a marching band and acrobatic performances, creating an extraordinarily lively atmosphere. Even classic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck donned pirate costumes to join the festivities.
While Walt Disney was negotiating a new Disneyland across the Pacific, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" had successfully passed censorship and would hit theaters there in mid-June. Disney incorporated Eastern elements into the premiere. A large promotional sign on the red carpet featured the Chinese title of the film, "加勒比海盗三," making it the only non-English text at the event. The sign's columns were adorned with dragons.
Moreover, the red carpet saw appearances from famous actors and towering basketball stars.
Matthew, escorting Alexandra Daddario, walked the red carpet right behind a celebrity couple. During an interview, the actor flashed a charming smile at Matthew, who responded with an enthusiastic smile of his own.
Of course, that was the extent of their interaction.
Matthew had seen the actor several times on set but had never considered striking up a conversation in Chinese. For one, he hadn't learned Chinese in his previous life; for another, the actor's Mandarin didn't seem very good, as he usually spoke Cantonese.
As for making friends, that was out of the question.
Like many movie fans back home, Matthew liked the actor but preferred Nicolas Cage. This fan's fondness for movie stars had little to do with his current work.
Frankly, actors moved in different circles, much like the Australian, British, and Spanish cliques in Hollywood. Matthew had no intention of joining the actor's circle.
After a brief interview, Matthew entered the theater. While walking down a long corridor to the VIP waiting room, Alexandra Daddario suddenly said, "Doesn't it seem like Disney isn't giving you much attention? Your role's publicity is much less than last time."
Matthew had known this for a while. As they walked, he replied, "It's normal. Disney isn't casting me in 'Pirates of the Caribbean 4'."
It wasn't just the publicity. He had seen the final cut of the film in Gore Verbinski's office, and Jerry Bruckheimer had warned him early on. Will Turner's scenes in this film were fewer than in the second film and less remarkable. The film was transitioning from a dual-core to a single-core focused on Captain Jack Sparrow.
In other words, besides Elizabeth Swann, who was sidelined in the second film, Will Turner was also starting to take a back seat.
Disney's goal was clear: they wanted to establish Captain Jack Sparrow as the central character, with future sequels revolving solely around him.
From a studio's perspective, this approach made sense. Matthew didn't say much about it. After all, he had no authority over post-production, and the series had earned him a lot of money.
Naturally, his promotion of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was just part of his job, unlike his more enthusiastic efforts for "Transformers."
"Hi, Matthew! Hi, Anna."
Helen Herman's voice called from across the hall. Alexandra Daddario smiled and greeted her manager.
Matthew first glanced at Helen Herman, then at the brown-haired man with glasses beside her.
Helen Herman signaled to Alexandra, who promptly said, "I'll go to the restroom."
She quickly left.
Helen Herman introduced the two men, "Andrew, this is Matthew. Matthew, this is Andrew Stanton."
Matthew immediately extended his hand, "You're the father of Nemo. It's an honor to meet you."
"You're too kind, Matthew," Andrew Stanton replied slowly. "I've wanted to meet you for a long time but never had the chance."
He continued regretfully, "Helen told me you would attend Disney and Pixar's celebration party, but I couldn't find you. I've been busy lately, so we couldn't meet until today."
Matthew briefly explained, "I had to follow Disney's promotional schedule, so I missed the party." Remembering Helen Herman mentioning the "John Carter" adaptation, he asked, "Andrew, do you have something in mind?"
Andrew Stanton smiled, "I was touched by what you said about Megatron at the 'Transformers' event." He wasn't joking. "I'm working on the script for 'Toy Story 3,' and your thoughts on saying goodbye to toys were inspiring. I'd like to borrow some of those ideas for 'Toy Story 3,' if that's okay."
Matthew felt a bit embarrassed but didn't show it. "Of course, I love Pixar's animations."
Even if Stanton hadn't asked, he could have used the ideas freely in Hollywood, and no one would have said anything.
"Thank you from Pixar," Andrew Stanton said, then changed the subject. He looked at Helen Herman and said, "Helen told you about my interest in adapting 'John Carter,' right? Are you interested?"
Matthew didn't respond directly but said, "I've been reading the original 'John Carter' novels in my spare time, but my work has kept me from finishing them."
Andrew Stanton nodded, "No rush. I'm working on the screenplay."
Matthew wasn't surprised Stanton was juggling two scripts. Behind every well-known screenwriter, there's often a team of junior writers supporting them, with the key being managing the overall direction.
Matthew thought for a moment, "Isn't 'John Carter' a bit of an odd title? It sounds like a female film."
He recalled how familiar the story felt, like a typical early web novel. If the title wasn't right, a male-oriented story with a female title was likely to flop.
"The title will change in post-production," Andrew Stanton said sincerely. "Matthew, I plan to turn the 'John Carter' trilogy into a true interstellar epic."
His tone changed, exuding confidence. "I've made an initial plan. The first film's budget won't be less than $200 million!"
"Two hundred million?" Matthew was interested. This budget was top-tier in Hollywood. He asked, "When do you plan to start this project?"
Andrew Stanton replied softly, "I'm currently working on an animated feature at Pixar. Once that's done, I'll begin preparing for the 'John Carter' trilogy." He looked at Matthew sincerely. "Matthew, this is a sci-fi action film with a powerful warrior as the protagonist. No one suits the role better than you."
Matthew considered for a moment. "Once the script is ready, can you send me a copy? I'll decide after reading it."
"No problem," Andrew Stanton smiled. "I'll stay in touch with Helen."
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