Pirates of the Caribbean began as a 1990s pitch that Disney's Michael Eisner rejected because he did not want to mix film and theme park divisions. Years later, a script based on the theme park ride was developed, and writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio gave it a supernatural edge. When the budget rose, Eisner threatened to cancel the production after early footage, but Jerry Bruckheimer convinced him with concept art and animatics. The Curse of the Black Pearl became a critical and commercial success despite expectations of failure, since pirate films had struggled and theme park adaptations had a poor reputation. Johnny Depp based Captain Jack Sparrow partly on Keith Richards and Looney Tunes characters.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.