Johnny Depp Sets Sail on Fourth 'Pirates' Movie

[John Johnson]

Captain Jack Sparrow will soon take to the seas again, and this time he is after the most sought-after treasure imaginable: the Fountain of Youth.

It was announced this week that the fourth installment of Disney's highly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise will begin filming in Hawaii this summer. Johnny Depp once again plays the flamboyant Captain Jack, and Geoffrey Rush reprises his role as his adversary, Barbossa. However, costars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are not expected to return.

The film's story is loosely based on the 1987 pirate novel, "On Stranger Tides" by award-winning fantasy author Tim Powers. The book tells the story of a young man -- coincidentally named "Jack" -- who is captured by the pirate Blackbeard and forced to join in the search for the Fountain of Youth.

Ted Elliott, the co-writer of the first three "Pirates" movies, said that the story of the novel just happened to align with where they wanted to take the fourth film. He told Empire magazine, "We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book."

Johnny Depp signed on to appear in the fourth movie in 2008, before there was a script. It was announced at the same time he would also be playing Tonto in a film version of "The Lone Ranger," but that project has been delayed until after "Pirates" is finished.

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have both said they had no desire to return for a fourth movie. Knightley said in an interview, "It was a completely fantastic experience, and it was an amazingly large portion of my life, but I don't think I need to go there again. I think that it's done." Also, the director of the original trilogy, Gore Verbinski, will not be coming back. He is being replaced by Rob Marshall, the director of "Chicago" and "Nine."

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is scheduled to dock into movie theaters on May 20th, 2011. Johnny Depp will next be seen as the Mad Hatter in director Tim Burton's new version "Alice in Wonderland" coming this March. To see why he says the role is "a dream come true," watch the exclusive interview with him in the player below.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-t ... tes-4.html

[Eric W.]

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have both said they had no desire to return for a fourth movie. Knightley said in an interview, "It was a completely fantastic experience, and it was an amazingly large portion of my life, but I don't think I need to go there again. I think that it's done."

In a way this is good news because it frees up the Sparrow character.

It may also be bad news in the sense that this could be a clunker, they know it, and know better than to be part of it.

Also, the director of the original trilogy, Gore Verbinski, will not be coming back. He is being replaced by Rob Marshall, the director of "Chicago" and "Nine."

This might be a harbinger of ill omen as well, especially when taken with the above.


On the other hand, both Geoffrey Rush and Depp coming back are great news.

[mkaroly]

The fact that Bloom and Knightly aren't coming back means I am excited about this film, as the focus will once again be on Jack Sparrow, which is what the other movies should have done rather than get mixed up in a dumb love story...in my opinion of course.

[Eric W.]

The fact that Bloom and Knightly aren't coming back means I am excited about this film, as the focus will once again be on Jack Sparrow, which is what the other movies should have done rather than get mixed up in a dumb love story...in my opinion of course.

I couldn't agree with you more.

[Monterey Jack]

Just please, GOD, let this run under two hours...

[Paul MacLean]

Boy, I really hope its in 3D!

[AndyDursin]

Knightley and Bloom played themselves out in the hideous third movie. That story was finished, there's no reason to bring them back.

Adapting the Powers book is a very good sign. I look for the focus to be squarely on Jack as it should be and a love interest thrown into the mix. I always thought Knightley had more chemistry with Depp than Bloom!

Hopefully this will be a return to what made the first movie so good. Let's hope.

[Eric W.]

Knightley and Bloom played themselves out in the hideous third movie. That story was finished, there's no reason to bring them back.

Certainly true.

Adapting the Powers book is a very good sign. I look for the focus to be squarely on Jack as it should be and a love interest thrown into the mix. I always thought Knightley had more chemistry with Depp than Bloom!

Hopefully this will be a return to what made the first movie so good. Let's hope.

Agreed.

[Paul MacLean]

But please no cameos by geriatric rock stars.

[Jedbu]

This definitely sounds a million times better than the two sequels, although Marshall has not made a really good film since CHICAGO, IMHO.

And wasn't there a deleted scene in AT WORLD'S END which explained how Bloom's character could rid himself of the curse? Or was that just a scene that was left unfilmed?

[Eric W.]

This definitely sounds a million times better than the two sequels, although Marshall has not made a really good film since CHICAGO, IMHO.

And wasn't there a deleted scene in AT WORLD'S END which explained how Bloom's character could rid himself of the curse? Or was that just a scene that was left unfilmed?

Yes. It's on the BD, for one.

A lot of people have either seen that scene or are at least aware of it by now and it's considered "canon." The scene is at the very end and it's at the end of the time cycle of that curse and basically they all get together and live happily ever after with a young child.

So there's nothing else for those characters. It's very cut and dried if you see it IMO.

[AndyDursin]

The scene is at the very end and it's at the end of the time cycle of that curse and basically they all get together and live happily ever after with a young child.

And it's the same kid from the beginning of the movie too as memory serves.

So that scene is set up better in the deleted scenes? Or it was established in the film somewhere?

It's been a while so I don't remember it, though I recall waiting in theaters for the ending scene and going "eh, so he comes back once every 10 years? Whatever."

Clearly, though, their story is over. I think they knew when the third movie was made that neither Bloom or Knightley would be coming back. The new movie could use some new characters and in particular a female lead for Depp to play off.

[AndyDursin]

More excellent news for this sequel -- Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane have apparently signed on.

Just as I predicted a couple of years ago when talk of another sequel was forthcoming, this PIRATES will give Depp a love interest/heroine to play off -- and apparently (unofficial as of yet) it's Cruz. I've run hot and cold on her, but I think she's got the personality and ought to be quite fun with Depp.

Having Jack play off a female lead is something, in hindsight, I think they got completely wrong in the second/third PIRATES movies. I liked the chemistry between Depp and Knightley more than when Bloom and Knightley were together -- I think it might've been more interesting to develop the former relationship and have Bloom's character fall off with some pirate wench as a study in contrasts. Alas, they never went there (one of many things they got wrong with the second and especially third installments).

Ian McShane is apparently playing Blackbeard, the original novel's bad guy -- gotta love this casting as well. Hopefully he'll actually BE Blackbeard and not some CGI'd villain with tentacles running through his beard!

On the surface I like this casting -- a LOT. And I'm predicting right now this film is going to be a big-time improvement on the third movie...they have the story sourced from a terrific book so it's not like they can muck this up the way they did AT WORLD'S END.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M0C520100223

[Jedbu]

Andy, either countdown leader or blank film would be better than AT WORLD'S END!

[John Johnson]

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ian McShane will play the legendary pirate--whose real name was Edward Teach--who piloted the ship Queen Anne's Revenge. McShane will join Johnny Depp, reprising his role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and Penelope Cruz, Sparrow's foil and equal in many ways, in a story that revolves around the Fountain of Youth.
Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot wrote the script for the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced film.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is scheduled for a May 20, 2011 release.

http://www.isnnews.net/