Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy swashbuckler films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney’s theme park ride of the same name. Directors of the series include Gore Verbinski, Rob Marshall and Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. The series is primarily written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio; other writers include Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert and Jeff Nathanson. The stories follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Characters such as Hector Barbossa and Joshamee Gibbs follow Jack, Will and Elizabeth in the course of the films. The fourth film features Blackbeard and Angelica, while the fifth film features Armando Salazar, Henry Turner and Carina Smyth. The films take place in a fictionalized historical setting; a world ruled by the British Empire, the East India Trading Company and the Spanish Empire, with pirates representing freedom from the ruling powers.