James Ward Byrkit

James Ward Byrkit (also known as James Byrkit or Jim Byrkit) is an American film director, writer, and actor. He is best known for directing the science fiction thriller Coherence and co-writing the script for Rango, one of his many collaborations with Gore Verbinski. For Rango, Byrkit starred as several characters, most notably Waffles, a horned lizard. Byrkit also was the conceptual artist on the first three films of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and designed some of the most iconic sequences of the series. Byrkit also directed the short film Tales of the Code: Wedlocked (2011), which serves as a prequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

Works

Rango

When Rango, a lost family pet, accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt, the less-than-courageous lizard suddenly finds he stands out. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt.

Release Date2011-03-02

DepartmentWriting

JobStory

Charactersd Waffles / Gordy / Papa Joad / Cousin Murt / Curlie / Knife Attacker / Rodent Kid (voice)

Vote Count6760

Real Creatures of Dirt

In this fun and educational piece, animal experts talk about the real creatures that inspired the characters of Rango and the filmmakers explain why they chose specific animals to reflect certain personality traits.

Release Date2011-07-15

Charactersd Self

Vote Count1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Captain Jack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones' service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well.

Release Date2006-07-06

DepartmentArt

JobConceptual Design

Vote Count16492

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann join forces with the revived Captain Barbossa to free Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker. The group must navigate dangerous waters, confront many foes and, ultimately, choose sides in a battle wherein piracy itself hangs in the balance.

Release Date2007-05-19

DepartmentArt

JobConceptual Design

Vote Count14836

Baby Driver

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Release Date2017-06-28

DepartmentArt

JobStoryboard Artist

Vote Count16184

Coherence

Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.

Release Date2013-09-19

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count3123

Special Unit 2

Detectives Nick O'Malley and Kate Benson work in Special Unit 2, a secret precinct of the Chicago Police Department whose sole charge is to protect the city's citizens from Links, a malicious paranormal species that is the missing link between man and beast.

Release Date2001-04-11

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count1

Vote Count23

MouseHunt

Down-on-their luck brothers, Lars and Ernie Smuntz, aren't happy with the crumbling old mansion they inherit... until they discover the estate is worth millions. Before they can cash in, they have to rid the house of its single, stubborn occupant—a tiny and tenacious mouse.

Release Date1997-12-19

DepartmentArt

JobProduction Illustrator

Vote Count1287

The Forest

Set in the Aokigahara Forest, a real-life place in Japan where people go to end their lives. Against this backdrop, a young American woman comes in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared.

Release Date2016-01-07

DepartmentProduction

JobCo-Producer

Vote Count1777

Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked

Wenches Scarlett and Giselle fix each other up for their wedding, in which they would each marry their groom. Upon realizing that both their grooms were the same man, Jack Sparrow, the two wenches found themselves in an auction led by the Auctioneer. This short film serves as a prequel to The Curse of the Black Pearl, and explains just why Jack Sparrow's boat the Jolly Mon was seen sinking at the beginning of the whole story; why the wenches were so upset with him; and how Cotton lost his tongue.

Release Date2011-10-18

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count97

Shatter Belt

A collection of interconnected stories that follow the mysteries surrounding awareness, intention, desire, free will, and the uncanny nature of consciousness.

Release Date2023-11-05

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count4

Vote Count5

Black

Vasanth and Aaranya, a couple move into a serene row house, eager for peace and privacy, but a violent storm leaves them trapped inside, unsettling supernatural disturbances threaten to unravel their marriage. Vasanth must uncover the truth behind these supernatural occurrences before everything falls apart.

Release Date2024-10-11

DepartmentWriting

JobOriginal Story

Vote Count13

Outside Ozona

A widowed trucker fends off isolation in the company of a dog named Girl, two bickering sisters try to reconcile their differences and a down-and-out circus clown and his stripper girlfriend must fight the temptation of crime on the road. Their common companion is an angry disc jockey at odds with a desperate boss. All these people will find their lives intertwined by the hand of fate. And before the night gives way to day, some will breathe their last breath... Outside Ozona.

Release Date1998-12-18

DepartmentArt

JobStoryboard Artist

Vote Count10