'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' takes $35M Friday

Rob Marshall's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is already doing pretty well at the worldwide box office, but domestically, the fourth installment in the series only bagged $35 million Friday. Not bad either, but it's not up there with the performance of its predecessor.

Now, "On Stranger Tides" generated $4.7 million from midnight screenings. On Friday, it managed to grab the $35 million from screenings at 4,155 theaters. Right now, it looks like the flick starring Johnny Depp will earn $89 million total this weekend. Okay, it could be worse, I guess.

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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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Johnny Depp to develop 'Thin Man' remake

It looks like Johnny Depp really enjoyed working with Rob Marshall on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," because the star apparently wants Marshall to helm "The Thin Man" remake at Warner.

Terry Rossio, Jerry Stahl and Christopher McQuarrie are potential candidates to pen the script, according to Deadline. The project is a remake of the 1934 flick starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Depp would play lead character Nick, who marries a socialite and jumps into a lifestyle of drinking. With no script in place, it should take a while before we hear more about this. Depp next stars in "The Tourist."

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Comic-Con teaser for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 4'

Count me among those who believe that "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is completely unnecessary. It's headed our way anyway though, and below is the Comic-Con teaser...

So far, I'm pretty disappointed. I understand this is supposed to be a tease and all, but truth be told, it bored me. Oh, and I didn't laugh once. Not sure if it was meant to be funny, but this is not intriguing.

Anyway, "Stranger Tides" opens May 20, 2011. It will be released in 3D (yawn), and it stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane and Kevin McNally. Rob Marshall directed the sequel.

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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.

'Wicked' musical is coming to big screen

It looks like it's finally happening: "Wicked" is on its way to the big screen. Folks from the musical have already met with filmmakers, and it looks like Universal will try and get this one into production fast.

Deadline says several directors have already warmed up to the project, including J.J. Abrams, James Mangold, Ryan Murphy and Rob Marshall. Whoever ends up doing it, these are interesting choices!

"Wicked" the musical is based on Gregory Maguire's novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." I had the chance to catch it on Broadway a few years ago, and yes, it's a cool story.

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'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' story details

Rob Marshall's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is now filming with Jerry Bruckheimer as producer, and Walt Disney has released some notes on story details. The film will be released in 3D.

This time, Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman (Penelope Cruz) from his past, and he's not sure if it's love or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth.

When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more...

Johnny Depp returns as the lead, and Geoffrey Rush is back as Hector Barbossa. Also on board are an McShane, Astrid Berges-Frisbey and Sam Claflin. "Tides" docks in theaters May 20, 2011.

Casting alert: Gemma Ward boards 'Pirates'

Australian supermodel Gemma Ward is trying to boost her acting resume by joining Rob Marshall's upcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" sequel, which heads into filming this week.

The Courier Mail reports Ward will be playing a mermaid. Her role, however, is of short nature. "Tides" also stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz. Ward also starred in "The Strangers."

How Disney saves money on next 'Pirates' film

Yes, the economy is still in the toilet, and Hollywood's biggest studios have been trying to save moola everywhere for months. Disney is currently trying to reduce the budget of Rob Marshall's upcoming blockbuster sequel "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," and they are trying to slash costs.

The Los Angeles Times published an interesting piece about how exactly Disney will cut down on costs, and it's quite intriguing to read what they've got planned. For instance, Johnny Depp will be shown more on land than in water. That alone saves money. Also, Marshall will have less shooting days than usual.

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New 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to star Penelope Cruz

As you may have heard, Walt Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is expected to hit theaters May 20, 2011, and that means the studio is getting ready to push the project into production.

Some casting news surfaced on the Web today courtesy of Heat Vision, which reports Penelope Cruz is in talks to star in the Rob Marshall-directed fourth film in the series. She also starred in Marshall's "Nine."

Johnny Depp will also be back as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Not much is known about the story right now, but it seems the plot will focus in part on the Fountain of Youth. Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot wrote the script.

Cruz's been having a good past couple of years, having starred in films including "Volver," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and recently "Broken Embraces." She'll also show up in "Sex and the City 2."