Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle publicly announced on January 19 that ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,’ the fourth installment in the popular Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films series starring Johnny Depp, will begin shooting on the islands of Kaua’i and O’ahu this summer. It was also announced that it’s being directed by Rob Marshall, and is expected to be released in summer 2011.

Bob Iger, the president and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, met with Governor Lingle on January 15 to tell her the news. The shooting of the film on those two islands is good news for the state, as it will bring in approximately $85 million and will provide hundreds of jobs.

Governor Lingle said she also supports the filming because it’s a testament to Disney’s confidence in Hawaii as a great place to do business. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer agreed with her, saying his company has always searched for the most extraordinary and exotic locations for the series. “(We) previously shot briefly on both Maui and Moloka’i for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.’ Hawaii provides an amazing range of both land and seascapes, and we’re delighted to return for ‘On Stranger Tides.'”

Hawaii was chosen after its Creative Industries Division and Film Office organized a series of meetings and conference calls last year. The State’s Creative Industries Division, the Governor’s office, the Department of Taxation and Tourism, Hawaii’s Tourism Authority and Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau and Film Office, the City and County’s Honolulu Film Office, The Resort Group, Ko Olina Resort and Disney Vacation Club all worked together to help secure the film for the islands.

Written by: Karen Benardello