How Paul McCartney Got A Role In Pirates Of The Caribbean 5

05/28/2017 05:07 pm EDT

The latest film in Disney's swashbuckling franchise has finally hit theaters, plundering box offices worldwide.

Captain Jack Sparrow returned in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, ushering in a new generation of high seas adventuring while paying homage to the stories and characters that came before.

Johnny Depp's character also acknowledged his own history when he ran into yet another family member in the latest film, played humorously by the legendary singer/songwriter/musician Sir Paul McCartney.

The former Beatle-turned-Pirate had a quick scene in the latest movie, which filmmakers Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg said they were surprised actually happend. The directors revealed to Entertainment Weekly how they managed to snag McCartney for the appearance.

"We had even written a scene for Keith," said Rønning. "And then because of some scheduling issues, he couldn't come to Australia to shoot, so we sat down with Johnny and kind of brainstormed, like, 'Okay, who could fill his shoes?' Because we felt like we should have something. We should honor the tradition of showing a Jack Sparrow family member. And we made a very short list, and of course, at the very top of that list was Sir Paul McCartney."

After that, it was a simple matter of sending a few text messages.

"Johnny, of course, has his phone number, as you do," said Sandberg. "I don't know what kind of club these people are a member of, but he had the phone number, so he said, 'You know, I'll text him! No problem.' So he did! He just texted Sir Paul, and Sir Paul texted back. And it went a little back and forth, and their lingo got more and more pirate-y, and it was like, well, this is going to happen!"

If you're wondering more about McCartney's role in the film, click here for the spoilers.

Or you can go find out for yourself as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in theaters now.

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazer (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea — notably Jack. Jack's only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has never faced.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, and stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Kaya Scodelario, David Wenham Brenton Thwaites Golshifteh Farahani, Stephen Graham Goran D. Kleut, Kevin McNally, Jessica Green, Martin Klebba, and Nico Cortez.

MORE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES NEWS:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Wins Opening Weekend Box Office
• Pirates of the Caribbean: How (Spoiler) Returns at the End of 'Dead Men Tell No Tales'
• Javier Bardem On If Captain Salazar Could Beat Anton Chigurh
• Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Ending and Post-Credits Scene Explained

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