The first Pirates movie came out when I was in college. I LOVED it. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched it over the years (though I haven’t watched it recently.)

It has its issues, but it was just so fun, engaging, silly, funny, and adventurous. It was a fabulous summer blockbuster. Captain Jack Sparrow is unforgettable–and Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa is actually one of my favorite film villains.

The Pirates movies after the first one aren’t great. Of all of them, the only ones I’ve seen are two and three. But there’s a scene in the third one that, despite it being a bit of non sequitur, inspired a scene in The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope.

I’m talking about the scene where the good guys and the bad guys have a consultation / negotiation on a sandbar, 3 x 3. The film set it up in such a fun way when they were approaching each other. I loved the idea of it, and I definitely included something similar in my book.

And this is where villain Zalski Forzythe’s strengths of character (and as a villain!) come into play. In order for the scene to work, Zalski has to be the kind of guy who would give his word not to kill the good guys during the consultation. And he has to be the kind of guy who would keep that word.

But he is exactly that kind of villain. What’s so fun about him is that he is evil, for sure. He has a twisted conscience, but he does have a conscience, and he takes his word of honor VERY seriously.

This opened the way for a scene when the good guys hash something out with the bad guys. As a reader, knowing what the issue at hand is, and knowing that Zalski suspects what it is, it also makes sense that he would condescend to meet with his enemies about this subject. It’s believable.

So I had a TON of fun with that scene. It’s still one of my favorites in the book and in the trilogy.