Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. They are based on a Walt Disney theme park ride of the same name, and follow Captain Jack Sparrow (portrayed by Johnny Depp), Will Turner (portrayed by Orlando Bloom), and Elizabeth Swann (portrayed by Keira Knightley). The films started with their first release on the big screen in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. After the unexpected success of the first film, Walt Disney Pictures revealed that a trilogy was in the works. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was released three years later in 2006. The sequel proved to be very successful, breaking records worldwide the day of its premiere. In the end it acquired a total of $1,066,179,725 at the worldwide box office, becoming the fourth and fastest film to reach this amount. The third film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released in 2007. So far, the film franchise has grossed over $2.68 billion worldwide. In September 2008, Depp signed on for a fourth film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, set to be released on May 20th, 2011.