When Disney announced that the title of the next Pirates movie will be On Stranger Tides, someone noticed that there was a 1987 novel with the same name. Investigating the plot of the novel – a guy hooks up with Blackbeard to find the Fountain of Youth – sounds really similar to the end of the Pirates Trilogy.
So is there a connection? The author says yes!
Author Tim Powers got swamped with fan mail and legal advice when the announcement was made, and he finally revealed to the folks of LA Times he’s been in cahoots with the Mouse House for a while; his book indeed IS the source for the new film.
“I was still — as far as I understood — not free to talk about it,” Powers said this week. “Then about a week ago my agent wrote and said, ‘You’re now able to say that in fact Disney did option the book.’ That happened a while ago, it’ll be three years in April.”
While the story will likely be a loose adaptation, changing names to allow the plot to be set to the current characters and personalities.
I found it interesting that Disney options this guy’s book 3 years ago and this is the first anyone hears about it. I would have figured someone somewhere would have leaked that Disney optioned this guy’s Pirate story and put two and two together.
I wonder if this news will cause a sudden boost in sales for his book?
