In 2007, after the successful opening weekend of the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, ', Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook said he was interested in a fourth film. The "Los Angeles Times" also reported that Bruckheimer already had rights to a book that could end up as another installment, though had not confirmed what book it was. On September 11, 2009, Walt Disney Pictures announced that the fourth installment would be titled '. The announcement had fueled speculation that the film would follow the plot of the novel. It was later revealed that while making the films, screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio found Tim Powers' novel and brought it up to producer Jerry Bruckheimer as an idea to option the book for the new chapter. In a 2011 interview, Tim Powers stated that Disney wanted the film rights as early as before the release of the second "Pirates" film, "", though he thought they already used elements beforehand with skeletal pirates replacing zombies from his book.