‘Captain Blood’ takes to sea again

Warner Bros. is developing a remake of its 1935 swashbuckling classic CAPTAIN BLOOD, originally starring Errol Flynn as a doctor wrongly sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean where he escapes to seek revenge and turn to piracy.

The film is being scripted by TV documentarian John Brownlow who previously scripted SYLVIA (2003), a biopic of Sylvia Plath that starred Gwyneth Paltrow.

Bill Gerber is producer. Unfortunately, he is someone with experience bringing old entertainment properties back to life in the worst way, specifically THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. But still, he also produced Clint Eastwood’s highly anticipated new film GRAN TORINO.

Phillip Noyce, a dependable filmmaker with credits that include PATRIOT GAMES, THE BONE COLLECTOR and THE QUIET AMERICAN is developing the project while considering directing it himself.

The 1935 film was based on a popular novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1922. Between 1924 and 1991 there were at least five feature films made that were originally based on this work with Warner’s version being the most famous.

My money is on Warner developing their remake into a more fact-based and high-brow version of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy with an eye towards developing it into a similarly successful franchise.

What is most important is seeing the film outdo POTC in the area of swordplay action. Disney’s first PIRATES film set a new standard with its award-winning duel between Jack Sparrow and Will Turner where Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom were doubled by stuntmen Tony Angelotti and Mark Aaron Wagner, both winners of the 2004 World Stunt Awards for Best Fight.

Swordplay was a key element of the original CAPTAIN BLOOD. In the dueling scene below, Errol Flynn (as Captain Blood) spars with Basil Rathbone (as Levasseur) in an elaborate display of vintage screen fencing. To this day, Flynn’s name is synonymous with swashbuckling films, most notably for his role in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1936).

Source: Variety

Tags: pirates, swashbuckling, swordplay, upcoming