Biography
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 s...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Black
2024
Original Story
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 su...

Baby Driver
2017
Storyboard Artist
After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

The Forest
2016
Co-Producer
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 se...

Coherence
2013
Director, Screenplay, Story
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
2011
Director
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 we...

Real Creatures of Dirt
2011
as Self
In this fun and educational piece, animal experts talk about the real creatures that inspired the characters of Rango and the filmmakers explain why t...

Rango
2011
as Waffles / Gordy / Papa Joad / Cousin Murt / Curlie / Knife Attacker / Rodent Kid (voice)
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 stand...

Rango
2011
Story, Head of Story, Storyboard Artist
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 stand...

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2007
Conceptual Design
Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann join forces with the revived Captain Barbossa to free Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker. The group must navigate da...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2006
Conceptual Design, Storyboard Artist
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 ...

Fractalus
2005
Writer, Director
A motley group of astronauts travel unimaginable distances across time and space on a quest for a glimpse of something beyond known reality.

Outside Ozona
1998
Storyboard Artist
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 ...

MouseHunt
1997
Production Illustrator
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 wort...

Breakneck
N/A
Writer, Director
Centering on a female driver who moves between worlds of getaway driving and Formula E racing.

Galapagos!: The Odyssey of Lonesome George
N/A
Writer, Producer
A turtle's journey across centuries of the Planet Earth.
Untitled Coherence Sequel
N/A
Writer, Director
A sequel to the 2013 indie hit Coherence.

Ideation
N/A
Director
Centers on a group of corporate consultants who work together on a mysterious and ethically ambiguous project for the government.