ABC to Air Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Christmas  12/17/06

"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL" WILL AIR AS THE "ABC MONDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK," DECEMBER 25

Nominated for five Academy Awards -- Best Actor in Lead Role, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects -- The Film Will Air in HDTV with 5.1-Channel Surround Sound and Spanish Audio via SAP

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is a legendary tale of unscrupulous pirates, unspeakable treasures and an unlikely duo, made up of scalawag pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Will Turner, a seemingly common blacksmith (Orlando Bloom), who take on a crew of the world's most perilous pirates. The film will air in HDTV with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP as the "ABC Monday Movie of the Week," DECEMBER 25 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Rebroadcast. OAD 11/3/05)

Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is kidnapped and taken to Isla de Muerta by the treacherous crew of the "Black Pearl," who believe that she can deliver them from the looming curse haunting them. Determined to save the love of his life, Will is forced to team up with the disreputable rogue pirate Jack Sparrow (Depp), who has an ulterior motive for helping -- to regain control of his beloved ship, the "Black Pearl." Will the peerless pair's persistence prevail over the perfidious pirates, or will they all end up walking the plank...?

Starring are Johnny Depp ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Finding Neverland") as Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush ("Quills" and "Shakespeare in Love") as Barbossa, Orlando Bloom ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) as Will Turner and Keira Knightley ("Love Actually" and "Bend it Like Beckham") as Elizabeth Swann.

The film was inspired by the famed Walt Disney theme park ride, "Pirates of the Caribbean," and includes familiar scenes from that attraction.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" was directed by Gore Verbinski ("The Ring," "The Mexican," and "Diary of a Producer"), and writing credits are given to Ted Elliott ("The Legend of Zorro," "Shrek" and "Aladdin") and Terry Rossio ("The Legend of Zorro," "Shrek" and "Aladdin"). "Pirates of the Caribbean" is from Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and First Mate Productions Inc. Distributed by The Walt Disney Company and Buena Vista Pictures.

"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL" IN HDTV: The ABC Television Network's HDTV broadcast of "Pirates of the Caribbean" will air in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio. This program carries a TV-14 parental guideline.