I know the paycheck will be bigger, Ms. Cruz...

But that Lars von Trier picture probably wouldn't have taken that long to film, and would have been a lot more challenging for you, as well as been a better follow-up for your post-3rd-Oscar-nomination-career. Messing around with Pirates will be fun, no doubt, but if you could find a way to work in both, we'd appreciate it.

Sincerely,

The obsessive fans

Source: Slashfilm.com

How often are Lars von Trier and a tentpole franchise like Pirates of the Caribbean part of the same story? Yesterday we mentioned that Penelope Cruz looked like a lock to star in Melancholia, the next film from Lars von Trier. Now it seems that she won’t be doing that after all, in part because she’s brokering a deal to star alongside Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

THR reports that the deal is in motion, but offers next to nothing about who Cruz would play. All the trade has is that “she is to be Sparrow’s foil and equal in many ways.” Not much to go on, though that line makes it sound as if her character would be the replacement for Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann.

The fallout from this is that Cruz may not be the lead in Lars von Trier’s next movie, Melancholia, after all. After digging up some European reports that claimed Cruz was in, The Playlist found other quotes from von Trier and his producer Anders Refn that suggest she’s not in the picture. Translation of the Danish remarks is sketchy, but seems to point to Cruz not being able to sync up her schedule with their production. Which would make sense, if she’s going to commit a big chunk of time to Pirates 4.

Too bad about that. I’d infinitely rather see Cruz in the more off-beat film. Given that working with Pirates 4 director Rob Marshall scored her a Best Supporting Actress nod for Nine, I could see why there would be extra incentive to jump into a big franchise payday like Pirates. But after the last film I have no real confidence in even that series’ basic potential for entertainment. We’ll hope for a surprise from this next chapter, but I’m not really banking on it. I’ll put my money on Melancholia, instead.

Read more: Penelope Cruz Joining Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Not Doing Melancholia | /Film http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/10/penelope-cruz-joining-pirates-of-the-caribbean-4-not-doing-melancholia/#ixzz0fAj9wrN2

"Pirates of the Caribbean 4" (2011) gets a subtitle

Source: Slashfilm

At the D23 Disney Fan Expo, Walt Disney Studios unveiled the logo/title for the fourth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. No plot details have been revealed. What might “On Stranger Tides” mean?

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is gearing up to begin shooting around April or May 2010 for a tenative 2011 release. Disney has previously said that the plan is for Pirates 4 to “hopefully be the first of another trilogy,” which would be shot by itself, and not back-to-back like the previous Pirates sequels. No word on who will direct the new film. Series helmer Gore Verbinski was originally attached to another Pirates film, but left to direct a big screen adaptation of the video game Bioshock. But as you probably know by now, Bioshock got passed to another filmmaker.

Johnny Depp officially signs on for "Pirates of the Caribbean 4"!

Source: Cinematical.com

With the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, it was pretty much inevitable that more would come our way. But it wasn't all signed, dotted, and crossed until now. Variety reports that Johnny Depp has finally signed on for a fourth film. I can only hope that this time around, he gets the passion and the girl. Or at the very least, I hope she doesn't pick a bland dude who lacks charisma and chemistry instead. Ick.  But that's not all, folks! Depp, with a big ol' soft spot for iconic roles lately, has signed on for one more (two if you count Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland). As briefly reported yesterday, he's also going to play Tonto as part ofJerry Bruckheimer's adaptation of The Lone Ranger. The man must like his Bruck. I'm glad he's part Cherokee so there's more basis to this pick than just "Holy crap Depp is awesome and brings in big money!" But that leaves a pressing question: We still don't have the Lone dude himself. Is there an actor out there who would make a good Lone Ranger, AND be able to fight his way out of Depp's talented shadow?