Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean seems to have been dead in the water since the third installment of the highly successful franchise was released in 2007. However, good news for Johnny Depp and Captain Sparrow fans as news has emerged that the latest movie, entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is slated for a May 2011 release. Among the changes to the cast, Penelope Cruz, whose turn in Vicky Cristina Barcelona earned her an Academy award is set to join the cast as a “foil and equal” to Depp’s Sparrow, according to Heat Vision. However, this will be a reunion of sorts for Cruz, who starred with Depp in Blow. Another Cruz familiar, director Rob Marshall, who led her to an Oscar nod with Nine is set to take the franchise off previous Pirates director, Gore Verbinski’s hands. No detailed news on the plot, but it supposedly finds Captain Jack Sparrow searching for the elusive Fountain of Youth. Filming is set to begin in Hawaii this summer. Are you excited for the fourth Pirates movie? Or do you think the film will suffer for the loss of Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley)? Finally, with all the news of reboots and franchise changes, how do you think Rob Marshall will handle the franchise differently?

Source: Heat Vision