Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Cancelled Swashbuckling Movie Was Nearly A Pirates of the Caribbean Film Of The 1990s

Arnold Schwarzenegger almost starred in his own version of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise revived the niche pirate genre and turned it into a major box office phenomenon. However, a few years before the first film of the franchise came out in 2003, Schwarzenegger almost played a role in a movie that could have become just as big a hit if it had the proper resources.

Director Chuck Russell, who worked with Schwarzenegger on the 1996 action thriller Eraser, recently revealed in an interview with Slash Film that he was developing an adaptation of the novel Captain Blood, written by Rafael Sabatini. He explained that he initially wanted the action icon to take on the leading role. However, the project was ultimately scrapped because Schwarzenegger wasn’t interested in the adaptation.

Based on Sabatini’s classic adventure book, the film would have followed a former soldier who becomes a pirate operating throughout the Caribbean. According to Russell, the movie was supposed to be a fun, action-packed epic that featured elements very similar to what viewers experienced while watching Pirates of the Caribbean.

The director said that the screenplay was very appealing to studios at the time. But, despite his enthusiasm and the interest of production companies, Schwarzenegger was unsure about taking on the role. Russell claimed that the actor was uncomfortable with starring in a period piece, which contributed to the project’s cancelation. So, instead of moving forward with Captain Blood, Schwarzenegger and Russell teamed up for Eraser, which became one of the actor’s best films.

While fans of the actor may wonder what a Schwarzenegger-led pirate movie would have looked like, the timing may have worked against the project. During the mid 90s, pirate films were considered a gamble at best as the genre didn’t have the best track record when it came to box office numbers.

One of the biggest flops in the genre at the time was Cutthroat Island. Released in 1995, the pirate movie completely bombed at the box office. Produced with a massive budget of around $115 million, the film barely broke even, as it only grossed $16 million. So, both Schwarzenegger and Russell may have actually benefited from the project falling through.

Pirate films remained mostly unsuccessful until Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The Disney movie was a huge commercial hit, grossing $654.3 million at the box office on a $140 million budget. Although the film’s popularity may be in part due to its star-studded cast. The movie featured Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Kiera Knightly (Elizabeth Swann), and Zoe Saldaña (Anamaria).

Birthdate

July 30, 1947

Birthplace

Thal, Styria, Austria

Height

6 feet 2 inches

Professions

Actor, Bodybuilder, Politician, Businessman, Producer, Director