'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' passes $1 billion!

They did it again! Walt Disney has a reason to celebrate because its "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" passed the $1 billion mark this weekend. Yep, the fourth film in the ridiculously profitable franchise lifted its global box office gross to $1,008.9 billion.

While "On Stranger Tides" only bagged $234.2 million domestically, the Johnny Depp adventure generated $774.7 million overseas. For Disney, it's a huge success, considering they developed this film with a budget smaller than that of its predecessor.

Additionally, "Tides" is now the second film of the series to cross $1 billion. "Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead Man's Chest" did it as well, earning $1,066.1 million total during its theatrical run. What does this mean? Get ready for more Captain Jack action...

This week's new movie releases - May 20, 2011

Hard to believe, but only one major movie will be dominating the North American box office this weekend. That flick is "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", of course. The Rob Marshall-directed fourth installment in the popular series will hit 4,000 theaters Friday.

Johnny Depp returns once again as Captain Jack Sparrow, who sets out to find the Fountain of Youth. Also on board are Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush and Keith Richards. BTW, "On Stranger Tiders" will also open in 402 IMAX theaters worldwide.

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Jack Sparrow is back in photo from 'Pirates 4'

Captain Jack Sparrow is back in action in Rob Marshall's upcoming pirate adventure "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," and producer Jerry Bruckheimer posted a first still of Johnny Depp.

No, it doesn't really show us much, but I guess it's proof enough that Jack is in deed back. Bruckheimer needs a hit now, so let's hope "On Stranger Tides" will inject the series with new ideas and adrenaline.

The film is set to open in 3DMay 20, 2011. Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane and Kevin McNally co-star. I hear this time, the adventure will have Jack look for the fabled Fountain of Youth.

Disney's fourth 'Pirates' movie gets a title!

Walt Disney Pictures had a bunch of big news to release to the world during the D23 Expo today, and one project that will be moving forward pretty fast now is the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" flick.

The studio officially announced the sequel will be titled "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," and the release is set for summer 2011. That means they will have to set sail on this one really fast.

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Rob Marshall to direct 'Pirates of the Caribbean 4'?

There's been a lot of talk about a fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" during the past months, and here is the latest: Rob Marshall is in talks to direct the fourth installment in the popular adventure series.

Earlier this year, we found out Gore Verbinski would not return for a fourth film. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp will be back for sure though, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Disney's Oren Aviv recently spoke out about "Pirates 4," saying he believes shooting could being as early as April 2010. Then again, a lot has been said recently, so make sure you're cautious when it comes to these statements.

As far as Marshall is concerned, he directed the Oscar-winning musical "Chicago." The "Memoirs of a Geisha" helmer has the musical "Nine" coming up soon. Will he make Depp dance around as Jack Sparrow on his big pirate ship? Who knows...

This and that in film news: 'Dark Knight' sequel to shoot in 2010?; 'Pirates 4' shooting next Spring

Here are some things you shouldn't miss on this July 24, 2009:

• At Comic-Con, Gary Oldman, who stars in the upcoming "The Book of Eli," announced that a follow-up to "The Dark Knight" will shoot next year. "I think the next Batman is next year," he said. "We start shooting next year. You didn't hear that from me." Already? (via Coming Soon) UPDATE: Well, turns out Oldman was kind of joking. What the hell?

• Coming Soon also chatted with Disney's Oren Aviv, who said this about "Pirates of the Caribbean 4": "We're going to shoot 'Pirates 4' in April or May of next year," he said. "It's important to get the story right and it's important to me to scale it down, because we can't get bigger."

• A sequel to the recent horror flick "The Strangers" is set for principal photography this fall. The first one grossed $54 million. Laurent Briet will direct "Strangers 2," which Bryan Bertino wrote. Plot details are kept under wraps. (Variety)

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No more 'Pirates' for Gore Verbinski!

Gore Verbinski's had enough of pirates, and I truly believe that's a good thing. After directing three "Pirates of the Caribbean" flicks, the filmmaker has officially told Jerry Bruckheimer he will not return to helm a fourth film, according to Variety.

Verbinski will instead devote considerable time developing Universal's big-screen version of the popular videogame “Bioshock,” which he will direct and produce. The film is set in the underwater dystopian city of Rapture and follows a plane crash survivor who must battle against the city’s mutated beings and mechanical drones.

Verbinski has been working on Paramount's animated flick "Rango," which features the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher and Abigail Breslin.

Even though a fourth "Pirates" film will certainly happen, I respect Verbinski's decision to step down as "Pirates" director. I really enjoyed the first film in the series, but the sequels failed to impress me.

Bruckheimer chats ‘Pirates 4,’ ‘Lone Ranger’

Last month, Walt Disney announced a whole bunch of new projects the studio is gearing up to develop, including “Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” “National Treasure 3” and “The Lone Ranger.”

Over the past few weeks we’ve heard quite a bit of rumors about these projects, but now it’s time to get some info from a more legitimate source: producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

As reported by Coming Soon and other online sites, Bruckheimer recently said that writers are currently working on the scripts for a fourth “Pirates” movie and a third “Treasure.”

"We've sat with the writers and we're working up the story and plotlines right now,” he said.

He added that the script for “The Lone Ranger” is almost done. As far as the casting for that film is concerned, Bruckheimer said he’s not ready to talk about casting quite yet.

Bruckheimer also said he would like to see the new “Pirates” flick open in 2012, and preferably in IMAX. Stay tuned for more information on those movies in the near feature.