James Ward Byrkit

James Ward Byrkit (also known as James Byrkit or Jim Byrkit) is an American filmmaker. He is perhaps best known for his many collaborations with director Gore Verbinski. Byrkit was the conceptual consultant and storyboard artist on the first three films of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise, having helped create several props and designed some of the most iconic sequences of Gore Verbinski's trilogy. Byrkit also directed ''Tales of the Code: Wedlocked'' (2011), a short film and an immediate prequel to ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (2003).

Byrkit is also known for directing the science fiction thriller ''Coherence'' and co-writing the script for ''Rango'', also directed by Gore Verbinski. For ''Rango'', Byrkit starred as several characters, most notably Waffles, a horned lizard.

Byrkit's debut feature ''Coherence'' earned critical and audience praise and garnered attention for his unconventional approach in the making of the film as "proof that inventive filmmakers can do a lot with a little", and identifying him as a groundbreaking talent. Since its release, ''Coherence'' has become an international sensation and regularly appears on ranking lists of best films.

Byrkit's follow-up project, ''[https://www.shatterbelt.com Shatter Belt]'', is an episodic series in the tradition of ''Twilight Zone.'' Production on the first four episodes was completed in 2022, with the world premiere scheduled for 2023 at the [https://www.sxsw.com SXSW Film & TV Festival]. Provided by Wikipedia