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ThePirates of the Caribbeanis arguably the most hefty franchise that Johnny Depp earned the honor to be associated with to date. Immensely loved by fans worldwide, every movie in the film series from the franchise was shot with Depp in the lead as the trickster Captain Jack Sparrow, who would do anything and everything in his wit and deceit to attain what he wishes for. Well, almost every single one except for the short prequel,Tales of the Code: Wedlocked.
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The OnlyPirates of the CaribbeanFilm Shot Without Johnny Depp
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Though Disney’sPirates of the Caribbeanfranchise will no longer starJohnny Deppin any role–let alone that of Captain Jack Sparrow–considering the actor’s firm rejection of the franchise irrespective of whatever amount he is offered, there is one short film that happened before this drama that also happened to get shot and released without the involvement of the renowned legend.
This short tale was included in thePirates of the CaribbeanFour Movie Collection along with four other feature films, released with the fourth installment of the film seriesOn Stranger Tidesin 2011. TitledTales of the Code: Wedlocked, this was the prequel to the first film,The Curse of the Black Pearl, and was mainly a reference to particularly the“Auction scene”from the original film series.
However, it also had a very understandable reason behind not including Johnny Depp in the shoot: Disney had a 3-day ultimatum for the director of the film, James Ward Byrkit, which was basically to film the short movie within three days before the“Pirate Cove”set from the previous movies was destroyed, i.e. the same set where this short film was shot.
A little backstory here:Tales of the Code: Wedlockedwas never pre-planned and was shot during the off-hours by Byrkit, who worked as a conceptual consultant on the sets ofDead Man’s ChestandAt World’s Endwith filmmakerGore Verbinski. Thus, all the resources and cast required were assembled rather speedily to pull off the shoot for the short film within the limited time frame.
While Johnny Depp’sJack Sparrowdid appear in the short film at the very end, trying to get the water out of his boat so he could quickly sail off to Port Royal, that scene was never filmed with the shooting ofWedlockedbut was instead taken from the very movie that served as the sequel to this short prequel film:The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Thus, even though he was there, Johnny Depp was neverreallythere inTales of the Code: Wedlocked!
Also Read:Hugh Jackman Directly Inspired Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Despite Johnny Depp Later Making It Iconic
WhyTales of the Code: WedlockedWas Created
Tales of the Code: Wedlockedwas nothing but a short, funny story based on the‘Pirate Code’book, shot on one of the set pieces of the Shipwreck Cove designed by Rick Heinrichs for the original film series.
Moreover, James Ward Byrkit, did a beyond-exceptional job while showcasing his remarkable directing skills when he createdWedlocked. As per how he described it on his official websiteBranebox:
“‘Wedlocked’ was a labor of love, a short film I directed especially for super-fans of the ‘Pirates’ movies. Knowing we had a small budget and borrowed sets, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott wrote a script for me that recalled the Pirates ride more than the movies. ‘Slappers’ Vanessa Branch [who played Giselle] and Lauren Maher [who played Scarlett] turned in leading lady performances that should get them their own TV spinoff.”
All in all,Pirates of the Caribbean:Tales of the Code: Wedlockedwas indeed a hilarious masterpiece created by someone whowasn’t even a director of the original movie series but instead worked as a conceptual consultant on the sets!
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
