Steven Spielberg has a rare form of Hollywood sway, with the ability to develop pretty much any project he’d like to see come to the screen. It’s the sway that comes with a career of absolute blockbusters with failures few and far between. Sometimes, as in the case of A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, he uses it to fulfill the wishes of his friends like Stanley Kubrick, finishing a project from beyond the grave.
Now, he’s working on development for author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Timeline), a film version of his posthumously released novel Pirate Latitudes. The script will be written by David Koepp (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), while the actual novel will be available on November 24th.
Spielberg is producing the film, and may also direct.
The description of the book is actually a very detailed glimpse into what we’ll be seeing on screen:
“The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Devoid of London’s luxuries, Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses. In this steamy climate, life can end swiftly by dysentery — or dagger. But for a daring soul like Captain Edward Hunter, this wild outpost in the New World can also lead to great fortune, if he abides by the island’s code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of England, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.Word in port is that the Spanish galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in nearby Matanceros. Heavily fortified, the impregnable Spanish harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of King Philip IV. With the Jamaican governor’s backing, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer the galleon and its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of Matanceros legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he makes it onto the island’s shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure.With the help of his cunning band, Hunter hijacks El Trinidad and escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla, leaving plenty of carnage in his wake. But the danger — and adventure — are only just beginning…”
While the pirate craze seemed to die out with the third Pirates of the Caribbean film (and likely won’t resurface until the unnecessary fourth film is released), I’m happy to see Spielberg taking on Crichton’s material again.
