It's all the rage these days: turning a sequel franchise into an instant trilogy. Such would appear to also be the case for Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, it would seem the third film will commence filming almost immediately after the second wraps.

British web site Empire Online recently interviewed Jack Davenport (Commodore Norrington) who had these comments on the now marathon filming project.

"I'm filming on Pirates until January of next year. There's a little break between shooting on the two films, so that the poor bastards who have to work every day, i.e. the crew, can catch their breath slightly, because it's a pretty massive operation. The first one made so much money that the number crunchers obviously decided to turn it into a franchise. We're kind of lucky to be along for the ride really."

While holding back my generalized hatred for sequels when it comes to Pirates, I remain skeptical. Davenport gives some reassurance.

"Pirates of the Caribbean – it struck me that it was at least going to be a complete laugh doing it. It was, and then it turned into a juggernaut. Of course we buckle our swashes, but I think there were a few things that were crucial in terms of it working. One obviously is humour, and I think, unlike many blockbusters, we also have a plot, which helps. A ridiculous plot, but, you know, it's a pirate film for chrissakes. I think a lot of that is down to the writers, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, who are very good at taking fairly tired genres and reinvigorating them but also giving a heart to the story. They're very smart guys, they're lovely men – and they're back for the sequels."

The first of the two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest, hits theatres July 7, 2006. No word yet on title, plot or release date for part three, although Empire Online hints at a cliffhanger ending for Pirates 2 that is resolved in the third.