As promised, here come a bunch of my own ideas.
<i><b>Main Character(s)</b></i>
As great a character as Jack Sparrow is, he was never the main character of any of the movies. So is Jack Sparrow going to be the main character of the prequel? Personally I think he shouldn't be the main character. Instead he should greatly influence the stories of the real main characters. I would personally suggest taking James Norrington as the main character. I think Norrington is a great character who deserves to get more attention. However, Jack and Norrington should never actually meet during the film.
Imagine Jack actually being one the main causes for Norrington's success, without Norrington actually knowing it. I think it would be great fun if Jack would (more-or-less accidentally) do a lot of good during the course of the film and in some ways actually helping Norrington with several things, without either of them knowing it. Imagine the irony then when Jack and Norrington finally meet during CotBP: Norrington wants to kill Jack immediately for being a pirate, not knowing how much he actually owes Jack.
<i><b>Jack Sparrow</b></i>
Naturally the prequel film should contain some of Jack's backstory. How he once worked for Beckett and captained the EITC ship Wicked Wench. How he refused to transfer the slaves for Beckett and was branded a pirate in return. How the Wicked Wench was sunk and then subsequently the deal with Davy Jones.
In the three current PotC films, there never was much character development for Jack. So I think it'd be great to have major character development for Jack here. The first time we see Jack in the film, he is a respectable EITC captain in the employ of Beckett. As the movie progresses, we see respectable, honest Jack turning into the pirate Jack we all know.
As far as Jack's personality goes, I think he should start out as a just plain repectable man*. Smart, clever and witty as we all know him, but quite gullible and much too trustworthy as well. During the course of the movie, we see Jack becoming much less trusting and, in turn, becoming much less trustworthy. He will learn that he must be as smart and clever as the forces that orchestrate his life to be able to overcome those forces and lead his own life. At the beginning of the film, Jack is but a gullible pawn in the game of Cutler Beckett. At the end of the film, it should be Beckett who is the pawn in Jack's game. This will then also result in the mark Jack left on Beckett: Jack somehow made a proper fool of Beckett. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/razz.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="razz.gif" />
Jack transformation should also be visible in his clothing. For an example, see below images of Jack progressively becoming more like the Jack we all know. In the first picture, he is a respectable captain. In the second picture, his hair is longer and he already has a bit of a beard. In the third picture he resembles the Jack we know, but his hair isn't quite as dirty yet and his clothes are still in light colours. In the fourth picture Jack has complete changed into the Jack we know.
[attachment=1138:1_Respec..._Captain.jpg] [attachment=1139:2_Pirate_Captain.jpg] [attachment=1140:3_Pirate_Jack.jpg] [attachment=1141:4_Ordinary_Jack.jpg]
Just for fun, see below picture of fat Jack. This is Jack after his pirating days are over and he enjoys a simple life somewhere. [attachment=1142:5_Fat_Jack.jpg]
* We all know Jack's father is a pirate. So why would Jack be a respectable man? I think we should give no conclusive answer to that question, though we could give several conflicting theories during the course of the film. We can't seriously expect Keith Richards to play a (big) role in the film if it does get made, so I think we should not include his character.
<i><b>Events during the film</b></i>
No PotC film is complete without a swordfight and ship-to-ship battle. I would like a multiple (more than two) ship battle in a PotC film, but I don't think it would be at home in the prequel. Instead it should be a relatively small battle so that the battles become progressively larger throughout the films.
One of the main events should be Jack's sacking of Nassau without firing a single shot. It should never be obvious if Jack planned everything to go that way or that it just accidentally happened. However, it should be a major success in Jack's pirating carreer. This might be the point in the story where Jack devides to pursue his carreer of pirating. When Beckett brands Jack a pirate, it is an unfortunate series of circumstances that leads to this. Jack never did want to become a pirate, but is forces into piracy by Beckett. Only after his accidental-or-not sacking of Nassau does Jack decide to on piracy.
<i><b>Cutler Beckett</b></i>
One thing that should be explained in the film is exactly who Cutler Beckett is and especially what he wants and why. In the two PotC sequels it is made clear that Beckett wants to eradicate all pirates and take on a trade monopoly with his EITC. We must clearly show how and why Beckett is evil.
<i><b>Supernatural Elements</b></i>
We all know there are many supernatural elements in the films. However, I think there should be none or hardly any in the prequel. Jack seems genuinely surprised in CotBP to find out there really is a curse, so Jack can't have had many dealings with the supernatural before. As the films become progressively more supernatural, it starts to become obvious that just about anything is possible to the point of having a waterfall at the end of the world and a ship-to-ship battle in a whirlpool. However, the series should start out with an almost-normal world. I think there should be some slight references to the supernatural and some events that suggest supernatural involvement, but to never show anything decidedly supernatural during the film.
<i><b>Locations and story progress</b></i>
I would personally like to show at least the following locations in the film: England, Ivory Coast and Nassau. I don't think Singapore should be in the film. If it is already in the prequel, it is no longer new in AWE. I think Singapore and the Asian influence should be exclusive to the third film.
England is where the story starts with Jack going to the EITC headquarters. The England scenes should show some of the English countryside, London and a bustling port, then go on to showing the white cliffs of Dover as the Wicked Wench sets sail for Ivory Coast to pick up the cargo of slaves.
When Jack arrives at Ivory Coast, Africa, he sees familiar white rocks, mimicking the white cliffs of Dover. However, the closer he gets, the less familiar it all looks with all the palm trees. Here there should be some nice jungle scenes as Jack goes ashore in search of water. He comes to a native village and befriends the people living there. However, now one of the first action scenes starts with EITC soldiers attacking the village and kidnapping the people. Jack flees to his ship and doesn't really see who is actually attacking.
When Jack arrives at the port where he was to pick up the cargo, he sees all the people from the same village chained as slaves and he is to transport them to the Caribbean to work on the plantations. Naturally Jack isn't happy about this, but he tries not to show it to the EITC representatives. He takes on the cargo and the slaves themselves, who thought Jack was a friend, make it very clear that they hate Jack for first pretending to be a friend, then betraying them by taking aboard as cargo. Jack leaves port with his cargo and sets sail for the Caribbean.
During the voyage, it becomes clear that Jack is conflicted: He wants to keep his commission as captain and do as he is told, but it becomes increasingly obvious that he can't stand the work he has to do. He knows it is wrong. So he decides to do the right thing and sets the slaves free. In CotBP Norrington tells Jack: "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness". Jack answers: "Though it seems enough to condemn him." Here we see how Jack's good deed actually <i>condemns</i> him <i>to</i> this lifetime of wickedness. Ah, the irony! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />
I am not yet sure of what should happen after these events. Naturally Jack must get his compass, which might be given to him by Tia Dalma in thanks of his good deed. Tia Dalma might have been among the cargo of slaves. Also Jack should somehow meet with Beckett again and be branded a pirate by Beckett. Beckett must also burn and sink the Wicked Wench. Also there should be the deal with Davy Jones and the saking of Nassau.
<i><b>Davy Jones</b></i>
I think Davy Jones doesn't need to be in the story very much. Backstory is never shown onscreen in the PotC films and I don't think we need to deviate from that. We can elaborate somewhat on the story of Davy Jones, but not very much. I think first Jack should simply hear the myth of Davy Jones without actually believing it. Then when he meets Tia Dalma in Ivory Coast, she also drops some slight clues on the story of Davy Jones.
I wonder how Jack's meeting with Davy Jones after losing the Wench should play out. Obviously Jack should make the agreement with Davy to raise his ship from the bottom and captain her for thirteen years in return for his soul. However, I wonder if Jack should actually take Davy seriously. If Jack knew that he would be hunted down by Davy in Dead Man's Chest, would he have made the agreement? Also if Jack would see Davy with his squid-face, wouldn't that be a reason for Jack to be somewhat suspicious of anything Davy would offer him? That is why I think Davy should not be all tentacly when he meets Jack. Perhaps at this point in the story, Davy simply looks much more like his original self, because he had not been cursed for very long yet. For example: He still looks like an ordinary man, only his left arm looks like a crab's claw.
Jack and Davy could have some conversation where Davy drops some hints on his past with Calypso and also offers Jack to raise his ship from the bottom. Notice how well Jack seems to know Davy during DMC. During the whole conversation, Davy keeps his left arm behind his back. This is all done in an apparently friendly and trustworthy fashion, so Jack agrees without really knowing what he agrees to. As Jack leaves the Dutchman, we see Davy from behind and we see his crab-claw hand. The audience now knows something sticky is going on, but Jack does not.
<i><b>Tone</b></i>
I think the tone of the film should be light and colourful. The begin of the film should give the feeling that Jack has a great carreer in advance as captain of an EITC ship. The tone then becomes darker as Jack is forced into piracy, finds out the truth about Beckett and makes the deal with Davy Jones. However, the film should then become much lighter again with Jack starting to enjoy his freedom as a pirate.
" border="0" alt="me.gif" /> We do need to be reined in at times while pitching in ideas and make sure that the script is kept somewhat honest. I agree, we can't get caught up in the darkness (and that's easier said than done) because it does suck the life out of a movie, and Captain Jack Sparrow is all about, by his very nature, being loose and carefree and so the script should reflect that.
" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" />
" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />