LEGO Icons Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship

The LEGO Group, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company, sets sail on a new adventure with the launch of the LEGO Icons Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship. Inspired by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, this detailed interpretation of the legendary ghost galleon captures the spirit of adventure and storytelling that has captivated audiences for over two decades.

The 2,862-piece set captures the ship in all its glory. Rotate dials to deploy the port or starboard cannons, turn the ship’s wheel to steer the rudder, and open the deck to reveal the detailed captain’s quarters, complete with furnishings, candlesticks, and an apple. Additional elements include a detachable rowboat and a minifigure figurehead. The hull can also be separated at the waterline to depict the ship in full sailing mode.

The model also features a full crew of eight minifigures, representing beloved characters from the film series: Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Hector Barbossa, Gibbs, Cotton, Anamaria, and Marty. Each minifigure is intricately designed to reflect its on-screen counterpart, inviting fans to recreate legendary scenes or imagine new adventures on the high seas.

Designed as both a tribute and a statement piece, the model doubles as captivating décor for the home or office. Whether mounted on its angled stand or set in motion in sailing mode, the ship offers a striking blend of nostalgia, creativity and imagination. As Captain Jack Sparrow himself once said, “not all treasure is silver and gold.”

LEGO Icons Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship is available from LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

What LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean sets would you like to see released in the future? Let me know in the comments below.

Return to Monkey Island

Lucasfilm Games has so much nostalgia for generations of video gamers (myself included).

Rescue on Fractalus!, Ballblazer, Koronis Rift and The Eidolon are amongst my all-time favourite video games from the 8-bit era on Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum. And I vividly remember playing Labyrinth: The Computer Game whilst listening to David Bowie and Trevor Jones' soundtrack on cassette (remember those?).

When Lucasfilm Games was rebranded as LucasArts in 1990, it cemented its reputation for point-and-click adventure games and arguably created one of its finest ever examples in the wake of the success of Maniac Mansion in 1987.

The Secret of Monkey Island is one of gaming’s greatest franchises and greatest games full stop. You play as Guybrush Threepwood (an homage to Star Wars' C-3PO), who’s on the quest to become a mighty pirate. Funny, atmospheric and heavily based on Disney’s own Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Now, Return to Monkey Island has been announced for release in 2022. The long-awaited sequel is by Ron Gilbert's Terrible Toybox in collaboration with Devolver Digital and Lucasfilm Games.



I first discovered the point-and-click genre playing LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis on a friend's Amiga A500 in the early nineties - Indy remains lost in a frozen tundra. Years later, I belatedly played Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, The Secret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle and The Dig on an iMac G4.

Are you excited about Return to Monkey Island? What are your favourite LucasArts games? Let me know in the comments below.

Disney's Jungle Cruise channels Indiana Jones

The original Pirates of the Caribbean proved Disney could successfully transpose its theme park intellectual property (IP) to the big screen, combining critical and commercial success in the process.

Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson (Jumanji: The Next Level) and Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), could repeat that trick during the pandemic as lockdowns ease and entertainment venues reopen worldwide. The upcoming action-adventure channels stablemate Indiana Jones even as far as the stunning Drew Struzan-inspired poster art.



Here’s the synopsis for Jungle Cruise:

"Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance."

Jungle Cruise is released in cinemas and on Disney+ with Premier Access on 30th July.

Are you looking forward to Jungle Cruise? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars fan film: Dark Legacy

This is turning into Star Wars fan film week on Generation Star Wars and that's a great thing. The fine folks at Manifest Film have taken the dark path to explore the brutality of Sith lore in Dark Legacy.

Whilst the Star Wars cinematic franchise has primarily focussed on Jedi training, fans have yet to fully see the trials of a Sith. Something that could be examined in director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi this December.

“Training is complete only with the death of the master or the student.”

Dark Legacy is a short film about an apprentice (Erin Wu) imprisoned against her will by a Sith Master (Fabien Garcia) searching for the student who will surpass him, or die trying.



Almost a year in the making. Dark Legacy is directed by Anthony Pietromonaco, with special effects by Jaremy Aiello and Mo Meinhart (Star Trek, The Walking Dead), and fight choreography by Phil Tan and Z Teams (Pirates of the Caribbean, Dragon Ball Z – Light of Hope).

"I'm bored by villains that are one-dimensional," Pietromonaco tells Creators. "For me that kills the story. One of the most fascinating elements of Sith philosophy isn't that it's 'evil.' It's utilitarian. We wanted to create a situation where an apprentice was forced to use the dark side as a practical element for survival. Not because they were bad, but because they had no choice. Our story grew from there."

Pietromonaco has succeeded in reprising The Empire Strikes training scenes between Luke and Yoda with a grim Sith twist.

If you have a Star Wars fan film you'd like to share, please contact me.

Pirates of the Caribbean hijacks Star Wars release date

Star Wars fans will have to wait seven more months for the release of Episode VIII!

The Force Awakens sequel, written and directed by Rian Johnson, has been moved from 26th May, which marks the 40th anniversary of the original Star Wars' release in the US, to 15th December 2017. Pitting the Star Wars franchise directly against James Cameron's sequel to Avatar during the lucrative Christmas release window.

This makes more sense. The Force Awakens was a critical and commercial success last December, gives Johnson time to make a darker sequel to rival The Empire Strikes Back and Disney can spread its tentpole blockbuster franchises more evenly throughout the year. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Lies will now occupy the 26th May release date.

Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story should bridge the gap this December.

Star Wars: Episode VIII begins principal photography in London next month.

Brad Bird passed on Star Wars for Tomorrowland

Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) explains why he passed on directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in favour of Tomorrowland.

“It absolutely was [a tough decision],” he said. “But there was no way to do [Star Wars] without junking this film, and we had already gotten George Clooney involved and I was excited about this film. I understand they had to get [The Force Awakens] made, and they would've had to push it in order for me to do it.”

The Tomorrowland director was asked if he would return to the Star Wars universe?

“Right now I'm writing Incredibles 2, so I've got my hands full!”

Tomorrowland, which is garnering praise from critics, appears to reprise Disney's other successful film franchise based on a theme park ride. Pirates of the Caribbean. Hopefully it won't be diminished by inferior sequels.