We got word at the end of July this year that Pirates of the Caribbean 4 may have found its director in Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine). Since then we’ve found out the name of the film ( On Stranger Tides); what it’s probably going to be about; that it’s going to be based on a book; and even that Johnny Depp may not be coming back (although Disney promised we’d see him in the fourth one, at least).

However, now we get the news that Marshall is confirmed to be directing Pirates of the Caribbean 4. According to a tipster over at AICN who attended a DGA screening of Marshall’s latest, Nine, Marshall replied to a question about what his next project would be by name-dropping Pirates of the Caribbean. Here’s what he said:

“‘Y’know, it’s something that I was offered and never in the world thought I would do but then I was like ‘why not?’… I’m doing ‘ Pirates of the Caribbean….”

So even though it was rumored, and looked pretty damn likely back this summer, it’s still nice to hear confirmation come from the Marshall himself. On top of that, another nice little piece of info that might be of interest to you Captain Jack Sparrow/Depp fans out there is that Marshall said he, “had a wonderful meeting [with Depp] and that they’re both excited to work together.”

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is to be based on a 22-year-old book also called “On Stranger Tides” by author Tim Powers, using the plot of the search for the Fountain of Youth. It’s a very fitting thing to build a story around for a Pirates movie, and with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley unlikely to be back for the fourth (we’re slightly more confident about Knightley not returning), it means they can use that plot to concentrate on Captain Jack and perhaps Captain Barbossa, who IMO are the two best characters in the franchise.

As for Marshall, I’m not going to lie and say it’s an excellent choice just for the hell of it. He’s most definitely not the first name I would think of to pick up the reigns after Gore Verbinski left. His theatrical directing debut back in 2002 was the multi-Oscar winning Chicago, and he has upcoming the Daniel-Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman-starring Nine (also a musical) – neither film is exactly overflowing with hidden treasure or drunken pirates (or maybe the latter IS - time will tell …)

However, as I said when he was rumored back in July, it’s refreshing to see Disney think outside of the box and get a director who you wouldn’t immediately think of (although I’m sure they’ve pondered asking Steven Spielberg at one point). I really hope Marshall can bring something new to the table and drag this franchise out of the confusing and uninspired pit it wallowed in with the second and third movies.

What do you think of Marshall apparently being the one to definitely direct Pirates of the Caribbean 4? Would he be your first choice or have you got a long list of other directors before you’d get to him?

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides is supposedly to start shooting next Spring, and has a general release date set of Summer 2011.

Source: AICN (thanks to /Film)

Last week, Steve “Frosty” Weintraub over at Collider ventured over to über-producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s office in Santa Monica to get an early look at the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trailer. After viewing the trailer, Weintraub ran into Bruckheimer and took the time to ask him some questions regarding the upcoming fourth addition to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, entitled, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

The three questions Weintraub chose to ask were:

What’s up with the script?
When are they going to shoot the film?
Did the regime change at Disney cause any problems?

[Update: Got some new quotes and more info on this subject]

If you’ve been keeping up with the news about the upcoming fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, you’ll probably be aware of the fact that it’s been given the subtitle of “On Stranger Tides.” As we reported a little under a month ago, the title is exactly the same as a pirate book by Tim Powers from 22 years ago, which is about the Fountain of Youth (Pirates 4’s reported plot hook) and which also contains a pirate character called Jack.

It seemed like TOO much of a wild coincidence for Disney not to have had based their Pirates 4 story on Powers’ book and we now learn, from the author himself, that the film IS based on his book after all. What a HUGE surprise… (Sarcasm alert!)

Yesterday we posted that Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp may not be coming back after the upcoming Pirates 4. A tip from Cinemablend said that even if Depp came back for Pirates 4 (and it was an “if” at the time), it would be his last performance as Captain Jack Sparrow within the successful Pirates franchise.

After Disney Chairman Dick Cook stepped down from his position recently, Depp gave some rather cryptic comments on his returning to the Pirates franchise, as he had a good working relationship with Cook. Depp said that his enthusiasm for the franchise had wavered since Cook stepped down, and this put doubt in fans’ minds over whether we would see him reprise his famous pirate role. However, today we get word – again from Cinemablend – that Disney has promised that Depp will once again play Captain Jack in the fourth movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

We recently reported on the news that Disney Chairman Dick Cook had stepped down from his position at the company after many years, with the rumors for his departure ranging from voluntary to forced out by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who may have been unhappy with Cook’s (and the company’s) box office performance as of late. Whatever the reason, Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp has expressed his dissatisfaction and disappointment at the news, with it putting a damper on his enthusiasm for Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides.

Depp’s starring in Pirates 4 was brought into question, which led to further questions asking if there will even BE a Pirates 4 if Depp isn’t in it. Well, recently word (that, for some reason, flew under our radar around these parts) has been floating around by way of an exclusive tip over at Cinemablend that even if Depp DOES come back for a fourth Pirates movie, it’ll be his last, meaning he won’t stick around for Pirates 5 or 6.

It was announced recently that Dick Cook, the chairman of Walt Disney studios for 38 years, has stepped down from his position, a move reportedly caused by a rough financial year. Cook released a statement proclaiming his love for every minute of working at Disney, having risen from monorail and steam train operator to chairman.

Even though Cook’s statement suggests he left entirely on his own terms, CEO Bob Iger had recently expressed his disappointment in the studio’s (Cook’s?) box office performance this year, with the likes of Race to Witch Mountain and Bedtime Stories not doing as well as they’d hoped. However, a report from the LA Times yesterday says that Cook and Iger have had some trouble that extends beyond box office results. Igor emphasizes collaboration and seeks, “new ways of doing business,” whereas Cook supposedly is a traditionalist. You can read the full story regarding this sort of thing over at the LA Times.

We recently found out the supposed plot for the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which, according to Hollywood Elsewhere, would feature Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Co. searching for the infamous Fountain of Youth. It’s not been officially announced but it seems plausible, and at this point we have no reason to think that it’s false.

So with that “semi-confirmed” plot (whatever that means) in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming Pirates 4 would be titled something akin to, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Search For the Fountain of Youth” or simply “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Fountain of Youth.” But no, at the D23 Disney Fan Expo, a logo/banner for the fourth Pirates movie was unveiled and it revealed the name and the release date: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has a (general) release date of Summer 2011.

Unlike the last two Pirates of the Caribbean installments, it seems that the upcoming Pirates of Caribbean 4 is going to have a plot (zing!). Hollywood Elsewhere has supposedly confirmed the premise of the next Pirates film, which is said to be “locked in” at this point.

And, from the sound of it, the film could be good – or we could just as easily end up with another Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Check out the rumored premise for the film and you’ll see exactly what I mean by that statement.

Although nothing is confirmed as of yet, Variety is reporting that Chicago director, Rob Marshall, is on the verge of being signed by Disney to direct Pirates of the Caribbean 4. This would seriously further talk of the project moving into production next year, possibly even filming by April.

Variety says that Disney and mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been meeting with various different directors over the past few weeks. They’re evidently trying to speed things up to get Pirates 4 made with Johnny Depp back as Captain Jack Sparrow before he’s to star in The Lone Ranger for the studio.

The last we reported on the much-speculated Pirates of the Caribbean 4, it was when Johnny Depp updated fans about the possible sequel while talking up his other upcoming movies, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. Depp didn’t give much, but did mention that the project was in the early stages, with the filmmakers trying to get a script together, and that generally he’d love to do it. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer also reportedly said a little while ago that a script was being worked on at the moment.

Johnny Depp recently spoke with Collider promoting his upcoming gangster flick, Public Enemies, where he also gave some new details on his upcoming projects Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, and the upcoming Dark Shadows adaptation. He also talked about his collaborations with director Tim Burton, and why they work well together. I know, wanted to hear about The Lone Ranger and his role as Tonto, too…

Gore Verbinski, director of all three Pirates of the Caribbean films, is ending his streak and not participating in the fourth installment. Instead, Verbinski will be focusing his efforts on the upcoming Bioshock video game adaptation.

Verbinski recently let Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer know that he will not be back to direct Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

That’s good news for everyone! Verbinski now has a chance to work on something different – another film that could spawn its own franchise – and the fans of the series get a new helmer to take the next Pirates film in a different direction (which is what it desperately needs).

For any of you Pirates of the Caribbean fans out there I’m sure you’ve been wondering and hoping that the franchise will continue, with the original cast intact. Well even though Johnny Depp is reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, it appears that Keira Knightley won’t be returning as Miss Swann, or as anyone else for that matter.

Last October, rumors were circulating rampantly about the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. They ranged from Johnny Depp earning a $50+ million payday for the movie all the way to some comedians being in the running to play the brother of Depp’s character, Captain Jack Sparrow.

These rumors were quickly shot down by Terry Rossio, a screenwriter of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and from then on, we haven’t heard anything for the next movie.

One of the screenwriters of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Terry Rossio apparently took some time to post a message to debunk the madness that is the rumors swirling around the upcoming 4th Pirates of the Caribbean installment.

These rumors included a $56 million dollar contract for Depp, Tim Burton as director and even Sacha Baron Cohen or Russel Brand (from Forgetting Sarah Marshall) as Captain Jack’s brother.

Welcome to yet another jam-packed, news filled installment of the Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up.

This week: Kevin Costner may play ball again; Tim Burton may helm Pirates of The Carribbean 4; David Cronenberg is Bourne again (kind of); we check out the helmer of 28 Months Later and Bill Murray talks Ghostbusters 3 and you can see Prince of Peace – God of War for free.

Was anyone honestly surprised to hear Disney was actively developing Pirates of the Caribbean 4? Or the news that Johnny Depp would in fact reprise his role of Captain Jack Sparrow?

I didn’t think so.

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Depp will receive a massive payday in the form of $56 million US (aka 32 million pounds UK) to put on the black eye-liner for a fourth time.

In July, Screen Rant brought you news about everybody’s favorite bizarre-character actor, Johnny Deep being cast as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. This came as no big surprise since Burton and Depp are married, err… I mean close friends in a business-sense sort of way. They are well known as one of the biggest and longest running director-actor relationships in the industry and this will be their 7th feature film together.

Hey there guys and gals, welcome to my first Weekend Movie News Wrap Up.

This new column is to try and fill you in on various pieces of news that happened during the week that we may have missed.

We at Screen Rant are a dedicated bunch, but there are only so many hours in the day, and movie news comes in thick and fast – so to try and keep you up to speed, we will now be picking up some news stories from the past week that we missed and bring them to a computer near you!