Hollywood: titanic director

People who swallow their pride to make a buck usually come from the bottom rungs of society. Take Hollywood actresses, for example—sure, they look glamorous on the outside, but in front of the real power players, even someone like Marilyn Monroe had to bare it all. 

Of course, as actors grow—gaining fame and stacking cash—they start dipping their toes into producing. With money, reputation, and hard work, they slowly claw back their dignity, step by step. 

That's just the second stage. 

Now, Dunn's reached the third stage of his journey—he can use his reputation to make money! 

After churning out back-to-back films that raked in over a billion dollars globally, Dunn's fame skyrocketed. But he was still stuck in that second stage. 

What really turned him into a figure everyone respected—or feared—was landing on the Forbes rich list and watching Fox and Disney stumble over themselves trying to keep up. 

When Dunn personally invited Tim Burton to direct The Curse of the Black Pearl, it was a classic case of cashing in on his clout. Burton didn't say no. 

Then, Dunn made a trip to the Staples Center to meet Jack Nicholson face-to-face, hoping to convince the old man to take on the role of Captain Barbossa. 

It's a supporting part—and a villain, no less! 

But just two days later, Dunn Films got word from Nicholson's agent: Jack was in! 

Dunn might be young, but in Hollywood, he's already carrying himself like a big shot. 

His reputation? Even a veteran like Jack Nicholson has to give it props! 

And that's not all. Tim Burton's director contract hasn't even been hashed out yet, but this famously quirky, hard-to-control Hollywood oddball has already shown up at Dunn Films multiple times, swapping ideas with the writers about the movie. 

The next time Burton popped in, Dunn invited him to his office and grinned. "Tim, I've got good news—Jack Nicholson's on board!" 

Tim Burton blinked, a little stunned. "For real?" 

"Of course!" Dunn paused, noticing something off. "Wait, you look surprised?" 

Burton gave an awkward chuckle. "Heh, it's great if he's playing Barbossa. But if he'd passed, there are still plenty of solid actors in Hollywood." 

So he'd already had backups in mind! 

Dunn huffed. "Alright, fine. I've met your request—now the movie's in your hands. Don't mess it up!" 

Burton shook his head, looking a bit troubled. "Dunn, you're dead-set on turning Pirate Captain into a huge series, right?" 

"Obviously!" 

Dunn shot him a puzzled look. "You've seen the outline—it's a massive, fantastical pirate world with tons of potential. Let me put it this way: even if this movie flops at the box office, it won't stop me from making sequels and expanding the series!" 

"Good to know." Burton nodded, then mused slowly, "Dunn, I think… we need to take some time to fully flesh out this pirate world." 

"Flesh out a whole pirate world?" 

A spark of surprise flashed in Dunn's eyes. 

Hollywood's churned out plenty of franchises, but so far, only Star Wars has built a complete, cohesive universe! 

Since blowing up across America in the '80s, Star Wars has spawned everything—cartoons, comics, TV shows, movies, fan works—you name it, all piecing together its world. 

Is Tim Burton trying to mimic the sci-fi sprawl of Star Wars with a fantastical pirate realm? 

Well, damn… 

That's awesome! 

Burton nodded. "Exactly. The richer and more detailed the backstory, the clearer the framework, the more vivid the details—the more real and logical the movies will feel. I just got an offer from Twentieth Century Fox to reboot the Planet of the Apes series, but I turned it down. Remaking an old story's nowhere near as exciting as creating a brand-new world." 

Dunn clapped his hands. "Tim, congrats on making a brilliant call! Trust me, you'll look back on this choice with pride someday!" 

Burton grinned at him. "So you're on board?" 

"Building a pirate world?" Dunn laughed heartily. "Hell yeah, I'm in! I've told you, I've got big hopes for this series. The outline I gave you is just a small piece of what I see. If you want to craft the full pirate world first, then shoot the movie… let me share my vision." 

Burton straightened up, all ears. 

Dunn cleared his throat and started slowly. "This is a 17th-century tale. For specifics—customs, costumes, daily life, sailing, military stuff—we can bring in historians, ocean experts, and cultural scholars as consultants." 

"Here's the big picture: there are nine major pirate lords ruling all the world's oceans. Beyond the Caribbean pirates, you've got the South Sea pirates, Indian Ocean pirates, Black Sea pirates, Mediterranean pirates, Pacific pirates, Adriatic pirates, Atlantic pirates, and Caspian pirates." 

"Pirates are a unique class—they're the ocean's overlords. The nine pirate lords interact with each other. Sure, they're ruthless bastards, but they've got a code. To protect their shared interests at sea, they've formed a pirate league, banding together against every nation's navy. To lead this league, they've chosen a figurehead—the 'Pirate Emperor'!" 

Burton's eyes lit up. "A pirate league? That's brilliant! Honestly, I think the series should just be called The Pirate League. Pirate Captain feels too small-scale! It's like how Star Wars has that grand ring to it—calling it Jedi Wars would've boxed in the whole universe." 

"The Pirate League?" 

Dunn blinked, mulling it over for a moment but holding off on a snap decision. "That's a solid idea. We can run it by the production team, marketing, and the writers." 

Burton kept going. "Also, with nine pirate factions spread across different countries and seas, they'd need a unique way to communicate—something exclusive to pirates, unknown to outsiders. We could hire a linguist to create a pirate language." 

Dunn's face lit up with excitement, then furrowed. "A complex language could trip up viewers, though." 

Burton thought it over. "True, but while the pirate world is huge, the movies should focus on English-speaking pirates—like the Caribbean or Atlantic ones. For pirates from different regions talking to each other, we could sprinkle in some pirate tongue to add a touch of mystery." 

Dunn waved it off. "Let's put that on hold for now. The first film's a launchpad—it'll just cover a slice of the Caribbean, nothing too sprawling. English works fine as the main language. It's the 17th century, after all—Britain's already on its way to being the biggest empire, with influence everywhere." 

Language in movies is tricky. Too many tongues, and you risk confusing the audience. 

Especially North American viewers—they've never been big on subtitles. 

That day, Dunn and Burton talked for over two hours, hammering out the basic framework for the Pirate League world. 

Then Burton brought in three of his go-to writers—his trusted crew. Dunn Films chipped in six more from their production team. Nine writers total, each tasked with crafting the backstory for one of the pirate lords. 

The project group was led by Dunn Films' chief market analyst, Andrew O'Hare, with Burton and Jonathan Nolan as creative advisors. 

Building the Pirate League world—from outline to drafts to revisions—would take at least three months. 

After that, Burton would adapt the Caribbean pirate chunk into the script for the first film. 

At this pace, the movie wouldn't officially kick off until next spring. 

But Burton was clearly pumped—and he could wait. 

It's a massive undertaking, dripping with fantasy and thrills. More importantly, if it works, it's a legacy-defining win! 

Just like Star Wars! 

Even if the rights belong to Dunn Films, being part of crafting a whole new story from scratch is an honor for Burton. 

And even if he gets tired of pirates down the line and steps away, Dunn wouldn't forget him when picking producers. 

The series' name? After input from Bill Mechanic, Nina Jacobson, Jonathan Nolan, and Andrew O'Hare, it was locked in—The Pirate League! 

The first film's title shifted to: The Pirate League: Curse of the Black Pearl. 

The old Pirate Captain label felt too narrow—hardly worthy of the millions Dunn Films was pouring into writers, historians, oceanographers, and other experts. 

Dunn couldn't help but laugh, half-exasperated, half-amused. 

The original Pirates of the Caribbean had morphed into something unrecognizable in his hands. 

The Pirate League is undeniably a colossal world—so vast that language and cultural barriers mean not everything can fit into movies. 

If the series takes off, they might spin off TV shows to explore other regions' pirates, or dive into prequels and side stories. 

The possibilities? Endless. 

"Man, I was aiming to build a Hasbro universe, but somehow I ended up with a Pirate League instead…" 

Sitting in his office, legs kicked up, Dunn let out a sigh. But beneath it, a smug grin crept across his face. 

His presence has shaken Hollywood to its core! 

These changes—all tied to one name: Dunn Walker! 

He's not here to repeat the past—he's carving out his own era! 

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