Shiver me timbers and blow the man down (other hoary old pirate expressions are available, speak to your local quartermaster for details) – Jack Sparrow is back. Three years after Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tide****s sailed into cinemas, its hull pockmarked by critical broadsides, Disney have officially announced the fifth instalment in the long-running nautical franchise, and it turns out you'll have to wait three more years for it. Plus! Its subtitle is Dead Men Tell No Tales, and uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has recruited some new blood to helm the series' quinquel.
After Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall, this time the director’s chair will have to be widened a bit to accommodate two microphone wielders: Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg. The duo are probably best known for the Scandi-sailing adventure Kon-Tiki, where they proved their saltwater credentials with aplomb.
Given that On Stranger Tides eventually grossed over $1 billion - even more in doubloons - the news isn’t terribly surprising. Nor is the fact that Johnny Depp is also due to return, after his other Bruckheimer diversion, The Lone Ranger, didn’t pan out too well.
In total, there will be a six-year gap between **On Stranger Tides **and the new instalment. And to make you feel *really *old, it’ll have been a 14-year gap since the original film once **Dead Men Tell No Tales **drenches the screen on July 7, 2017 - significantly later than its original 2015 release date, first mooted back in September last year.