2 April 2014
Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp was not originally in line to play oddball pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in the hit “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise -- the part was written for Australian star Hugh Jackman.
“I initially wrote that character with Hugh Jackman in mind,” screenwriter Stuart Beattie revealed. “Hence the name Captain -- Jack -- Sparrow.”
At the time, Jackman was a prominent actor in Beattie’s homeland of Australia, but was not yet a big deal on the international scene. This prompted the folks at Disney to dismiss Beattie’s casting contribution, and instead hunt down Depp. And when it comes to trying to push for a big break in Hollywood, patience certainly pays off.
“I spent ten years pitching it [to] Disney and they weren’t interested,” Beattie, who went on to write a string of other big-budget, epic films such as “Collateral,” “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” “Australia” and “30 Days of Night,” added. “Then finally, I got a call to come back in.”
