Something of an anti-climax, this. There's no actual footage from the film in this teaser trailer for **Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in the aaaaar-tastic Disney franchise.
But what we do have is Johnny Depp, in character as Cap'n Jack Sparrow, regaling us, with the aid of a bottle of rum, with a non-tale of how he most certainly is not going looking for the fabled Fountain of Youth, isn't recruiting a new crew, doesn't even have a map. But if it weren't not true, he would be able to promise us, his potential shipmates, "very insubstantial dangers, including but not limited to zombies, cut-throats, mermaids, and a vicious and vivacious Penelope Cruz". Fourth wall broken! Actress named by fictional character! Brain hurts!
Whether or not you think a Pirates 4 is jumping the shark, it's undeniably cheering to see Depp back in the costume again. And since the ship has a new captain in Rob Marshall, and is sailing into far leaner territory than At World's End with only Jack and Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa as hangovers from the franchise's past, there's good reason to be optimistic. And for those as like it, it's in 3D this time. As was this clip when originally shown. A 3D film of a man sitting at a table doesn't sound that thrilling really, but that bit when he offers us the bottle looked alright.
On Stranger Tides co-stars Ian McShane as Blackbeard, alongside Stephen Graham, Max Irons, Sam Clafin, and French actress Astrid Bergès-Frisbey. It should dock in cinemas in May next year.