In the summer of 2002, Teves would meet with director Gore Verbinski. For the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Verbinski had the outline of a story and was talking to Johnny Depp, but there was no art department set up yet. In its earliest stage of visual development, Miles Teves was hired for one week's work to take on some of the key moments in the fledgeling script. Another artist was already hired to do the character design, so Teves did a few key frames and sketches. Though he regretted having to leave the project and move on to another film, Mile Teves did have a chance to make his mark.