New Pirates of the Caribbean Film

After much development and many delays, the fifth film in the powerful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is set to begin filming in two weeks. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted a photo from the set:

We hope this film brings a great story as well as a jolt of adrenaline for Johnny Depp's fatigued career. In our opinion, the quality of these stories has been hit-or-miss; but they are visually great, and anything that keeps the spirit of the Golden Age of Piracy alive is good in our book!

Visit Ye Pirate Shoppe for recommendations of pirate media to keep ye content while we await the release.

On Stranger Tides

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series will be released in 2011. It is based, in part, on the award-winning 1988 novel "On Stranger Tides" by celebrated Fantasy/Magical Realism author Tim Powers. It combines piracy with the supernatural, a perfect fit for the PotC franchise. Do yourself a favor and read this book while you're waiting for the movie to come out. We only wonder if they kept Blackbeard in the film script. Powers himself speculates that Blackbeard's role in the tale will be taken on by mutinous first mate Barbossa.

Way, Hey, Blog the Man Down!

This be a blog devoted to the romantic ideal of piracy, especially the Golden Age thereof. We will discuss infamous historical pirates, pirates in literature and film, pirate events, nautical archaeology, and perhaps the occasional news story about modern pirates-- but only to lambaste them for their lack of panache and cutlasses.

So why is piracy romantical? Freedom, me hearties. Pirates represent the eschewing of authority and making one's own way with courage and a rejection of the domination of the spirit. The ideal of rational anarchy is perhaps best expressed by Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: "The only law that matters is what a man can do, and what a man can't do." Blow "the Man" down, maties!