Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Summer 2015 Launch Date Delayed

Pirates of Caribbean 5 was originally planned to hit theaters in the summer of 2015. The reason for the delay according to producer Jerry Bruckheimer was due to issues with the script. Bruckheimer says that the film was supposed to start shooting in March. Johnny Depp is returning to his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.



The official title of the film is expected to be Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Bruckheimer says:



We have an outline everyone loves but the script is not done.



The same team behind the Pirates films was also behind The Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger cost an estimated $250 million to make and could force Disney to take $190 million write-down. With the production team under pressure after that high-profile failure, Disney is hoping to keep the cost of the new Pirates movie under $200 million.



Sources say that the original script was said by the studio to be difficult to follow and expensive to make. The screenwriter for the original script is Jeff Nathanson and he is currently working on his second attempt at the script.

Source:Hollywood Reporter

Please follow The Mac Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

'Lone Ranger' Will Be A Great Movie in 10 Years, Producer Says

Hollywood mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has defended The Lone Ranger after it proved a flop with film fans, insisting it will be considered a great movie in the years to come.

Director Gore Verbinski's modern reimagining of the Wild West tale, featuring Armie Hammer as the masked lawman and Johnny Depp as his trusted sidekick Tonto, bombed when it earned just $29.4 million at the U.S. box office on its opening weekend earlier this month.

The movie also failed to impress the critics, but Bruckheimer is adamant its detractors will look back on it with fondness in years to come -- like his 1983 dance classic Flashdance.

He said, "It reminds me of a critic who called Flashdance a 'toxic dump'. Ten years later (the critic) said, 'This is really a good movie. I missed it.' I think (The Lone Ranger is) going to be looked back on as a brave, wonderful film."

Johnny Depp Heading Back to Wonderland Without Tim Burton

Johnny Depp is set to reprise his role as the Mad Hatter in a sequel to Alice in Wonderland, but he will be returning without his longtime collaborator Tim Burton.



The Hollywood actor took on the wacky role opposite Mia Wasikowska as Alice in the Lewis Carroll adaptation, which broke the $1 billion mark at the international box office following its release in 2010.



Movie bosses are working on a sequel, and it has now emerged Depp is set to return but director Burton will be replaced with The Muppets' James Bobin, according to Deadline.com.



It is not yet known if Wasikowska will reprise her role as Alice.



Burton has worked with Depp on numerous films over the years, including Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Dark Shadows.





For more of our  recent Johnny Depp coverage on The Mac Wire,  see "Pages" and scroll down for Johnny's name and click!

'Despicable Me 2' Tramples 'Lone Ranger' at Theaters

The  minions have overtaken "The Lone Ranger."



Studio estimates Friday show "Despicable Me 2" is trampling the Johnny Depp Western at the holiday box office. The animated Universal sequel has collected three times more than the Disney cowboy caper since both films debuted Wednesday.



"Despicable Me 2" earned $59.5 million so far, while "The Lone Ranger" took in $19.5 million in ticket sales.



Moviegoers opted for the minions over the masked man by more than 2 to 1 on Independence Day. The family film dominated with $24.5 million Thursday, compared with Ranger's $9.86 million.



Poor reviews for "The Lone Ranger" may have translated to sluggish ticket sales. Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper called the $250 million Western "slick trash."

Please follow The Mac Wire  on Twitter and Facebook.

Lone Ranger' Ambushed at Box Office, Disney May Face Loss

LOS ANGELES - "The Lone Ranger," Walt Disney Co's big-budget western starring Johnny Depp, performed below expectations on Wednesday night, raising the possibility that the movie could saddle the media giant with a loss on the film.



The film, which cost an estimated $225 million to produce, generated $9.7 million during Wednesday showings, falling well behind "Despicable Me 2" from Comcast's Universal Pictures, which sold $34.3 million at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates.



Both films opened with limited showings on Tuesday. For the two-day period, "Despicable Me 2" generated $39 million and "The Lone Ranger" saw $11.7 million.



Disney estimates "The Lone Ranger" will sell $45 million for the Wednesday through Sunday July Fourth holiday weekend, below industry experts' initial forecasts of $60 million to $70 million over the five days.



"If it does end up grossing less than $50 million over the five-day stretch, it will most certainly go down as a misfire," said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, which tracks movie box office prospects.



The film's poor opening is a black eye for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski and star Depp, the trio behind Disney's ultra-successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.



Disney made their prior success a key part of marketing the current film, and Depp's international appeal still could help the film's overseas box office.



"The Lone Ranger" is an action remake of a 1930s radio show and television series in the 1950s. Armie Hammer plays John Reid, the lawman who dons a mask to fight injustice in the Old West. This time, though, it is the Lone Ranger's Native American sidekick Tonto, played by Depp, who takes center stage.



Critics have not embraced the movie. Among 110 reviews compiled on the Rotten Tomatoes website on Wednesday, just 25 percent recommended the film.



Gitesh Pandya, editor of the website Box Office Guru, estimates the film will generate $100 million in domestic ticket sales.



A $60 million opening over its first days would have generated a modest profit, according to Tony Wible, a managing director of Janney Montgomery Scott who follows Disney.



With that opening, he estimated the film would generate $180 million in domestic ticket sales and give Disney total revenues of $370 million from foreign, video and other sales.



Studios and theaters generally share box office receipts.



Disney spent $225 million to make the film and an estimated $100 million to market it.



A Disney spokesperson was not available for comment on the studio's outlook for the film's profitability.



"The Lone Ranger" is the latest entry in Disney's strategy of spending more on fewer films to build franchises from big budget movies that can generate continued revenues from sequels, merchandise and outlets like its theme parks and TV properties.



The company found such success with Marvel superhero films "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," and with Pixar's "Monsters University," but wrote down $200 million when sci-fi epic "John Carter" flopped last year.



The studios will update the box office results over the weekend.





Please follow The Mac Wire  on Twitter and Facebook.