It’s time to return to the high seas with the world’s favourite pirate as Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides hits stores exclusively on Disney 3D Blu-ray, Double Play & DVD NOW!

The fourth instalment of the phenomenal series has already taken over $1 Billion at the worldwide box office and once again delivers thrills, adventure, humour, action and excitement by the keg load.

Johnny Depp is back as the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow in a tale of truth, betrayal, youth….and mermaids! Crossing hearts (and swords) with Depp on this fantastic new voyage is Hollywood beauty Penelope Cruz, Oscar™ winner Geoffrey Rush – reprising his role as the legendary Barbossa – and British acting legend Ian McShane as the most feared pirate of them all; Blackbeard.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Directed by Rob Marshall, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides was shot entirely in Disney Digital 3D™, taking audiences into Jack Sparrow’s world in a way never experienced before. Now they can immerse themselves from the comfort of their own home as the film comes to Disney 3D Blu-ray with a whole host of extras including Bloopers of the Caribbean and Lego® Pirates of the Caribbean Shorts.

Filled with eye-popping battle scenes, mystery, all-out wit, and complete with a bounty of bonus features, this is one thrilling journey fans won’t want to end.

DVD Bonus Features

• Bloopers of the Caribbean
• Lego® Pirates of the Caribbean Shorts
• Learn How To Take Your Favourite Movies on the Go
• Discover Blu-ray 3D™ With Timon & Pumbaa

Blu-ray Bonus Features

• Bloopers of the Caribbean
• Lego® Pirates of the Caribbean Shorts
• Audio Commentary by Director Rob Marshall and Executive Producer John DeLuca
• Discover Blu-ray 3D™ With Timon & Pumbaa
• Learn How To Take Your Favourite Movies on the Go

To be in with a chance of winning one of three Blu-Ray (Double Play) copies of the film answer the following question using the form below:

Who stars as Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides?

1. Ian McShane
2. Keith Richards
3. Russell Brand

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides is available NOW on Disney 3D Blu-ray, Double Play & DVD.

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close September 26th at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

To celebrate the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on DVD and Blu-ray today, Disney Home Entertainment have given us this new exclusive clip from the movie. You can click here to order your copy.

The fourth movie in the ‘Pirates’ series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp​, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall.

In this clip, we get to see what happens if you find yourself up against a rather attractive mermaid! Just make sure you’re careful and they’re not all they appear!

Synopsis: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise–this time in Disney Digital 3D(TM). Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), 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 legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs​, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

With his latest film, Midnight in Paris, coming out of Cannes with a healthy critical buzz the prolific filmmaker is already in pre-production for his next stop on his European jaunt with a stop in Rome for The Bop Decameron and today the latest iteration of the famous Allen Ensemble cast was revealed.

Some of the actors on the list were already rumoured to have signed up, and Allen himself confirmed Judy Davis, a frequenter co-star of Allen’s who last appeared for Allen in his 1998 film Celebrity, was set to star but the full list has some choice surprises.

Here’s the full cast, culled from Deadline, to whom we owe thanks.

Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page. Co-stars include Antonio Albanese, Fabio Armiliata, Alessandra Mastronardi, Ornella Muti, Flavio Parenti, Alison Pill, Riccardo Scamarcio and Alessandro Tiberi

Yes. That’s Ornella Muti from Flash Gordon. Greta Gerwig is another very interesting addition to the cast. She has done some exceptional work of late, and she has an incredible screen presence so I’m hoping she’ll have more than a passing role here. I’ll happily watch anything Allen produces and it’s good to see the director reuniting with some of his co-stars of old as well as casting some of the more interesting young actors around.

As for the film’s plot we can do no better than quote the fine folks at Cinema Blend who quoted Allen at the recent Cannes press conference. He said thie film will be:

a broad comedy, not a romantic comedy, of various tales interwoven. I’m one of them, in one of them. All the parts are quite significant, there are no cameos. There just happened to be a part that I could play. I can’t play the love interest anymore, which is tremendously frustrating. My wife and myself go to Rome because our daughter is going to marry an Italian boy that she met there, and we go over to meet him and meet his family, and what ensues. The film is very broadly funny.

Oh Woody, you had me at Decameron…

The weekend box office estimates are in, and against all odds Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has achieved the highest opening weekend total so far this year. It just managed to squeak past previous highest Fast Five’s total, with an estimated $90m according to Inside Movies at EW.com, and sets a big target for the rest of the summer blockbusters to aspire to.

The question is:  how is such a tired franchise continuing to make so much money?

This opening total is down on the previous Pirates films. Black Pearl, an unknown quantity at the time, only opened with $46.6m, but Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End opened with $135.6m and $114.7m respectively. They also, however, got progressively worse. Starting with Black Pearl at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, the review aggregates went down to 54% then 45%. The latest, On Stranger Tides, has managed to undercut them all with an appalling 34%. This doesn’t seem to have dampened the audience interest, however, and it is looking at this point like Pirates of the Caribbean is one of those franchises that is almost critic proof.

Let’s face it, Johnny Depp is the reason the series has been so successful. His Captain Jack Sparrow routine is what drew audiences in for the first movie, and the stories have been built around Depp and Sparrow throughout. The problem with this is that the movies are suffering as a result. Relying on his schtick to carry the films through means we are not being offered anything fresh. After the last two movies received such a critical mauling, the smart move would have been to either pack it in, or hire a screenwriter known for their quality storytelling. Instead, Disney seem to have just gone for the easy money, and put the weight back on Jack Sparrows shoulders, perhaps having too much of their attention divided by other projects.
The thing that amazes me is that we are in a cinematic period where people are complaining about too many sequels, bemoaning the lack of original material. Yet we are still paying good money to see unimaginative retreads with these financially motivated sequels. The clear truth is that, in fact, the majority audience love sequels.So many people are afraid of change, and if you go and see a well established, though well worn, franchise you know what you are going to get. We may be only sporadically entertained, but hey, it’s better than taking a risk on the unknown, right?

Despite such poor critical reception, and star Depp recently saying he’d like to see a little time go past before we see a Pirates 5, with the money On Stranger Tides has made both domestically and globally it seems likely Disney will be keen to press on with a fifth installment. It will be very interesting to see what would happen if Depp did indeed decline to come back. Would they press on regardless with new characters? Would this actually be the key to increasing the quality of the overall product?

Tron: Legacy did not go down too well with critics, but the general public seemed to quite like it. It was also financially successful, so a third movie is on the cards. As long as movie goers are happy to return for follow-ups, the studios are, quite sensibly, more than happy to provide them. It is, obviously, much easier to put a sequel to an existing movie together than to come up with a concept from scratch. Don’t forget, Pirates of the Caribbean was initially a gamble on adapting a theme park ride to the big screen, so inspiration is clearly pretty thin on the ground. If we don’t think a film is up to scratch, but go back for more punishment anyway when the time comes, we really have no right to complain when we are let down again.

We are stuck in a cycle of sequels. This year sees a record total of them at cinemas, and whilst I am not against sequels as a rule, there needs to be more care taken with them. If a compelling and entertaining story does not come naturally to them, it means they are not justified. Some movies are just meant as stand alone pieces of art, and no matter what we might like to think, the memory of any great movie is watered down by its legacy. All we, the audience, can do is vote with our feet. Because in this industry, money talks. And, right now, the money is saying we want recycled trash. I don’t. I want great movies, and so far this year I haven’t seen enough of them.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is currently making it’s way around the globe on it’s press tour while it’s released in every country that has a cinema. Our coverage of the movie has been rather extensive and much of that is thanks to Upbeat who have been fantastic at giving us interviews. The latest interview conducted exclusively for us is with mega-Producer, Jerry Bruckheimer who regular readers of the site will know is one of my favourites! As well as the previous three pirates movies, his body of work includes Top Gun, Armageddon, Crimson Tide, The Rock, Con Air, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys and Black Hawk Down to name but a few.

This latest movie sees him reunited with Disney for the fourth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and James White interviews the man himself!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is directed by Rob Marshall and stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Geoffrey Rush. It’s released 18th May.

Check out the interview below and click here to read our review of the movie or here to see all the further coverage of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

As a big fan of the first movie I was (like most) disappointed with the sequels which followed to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and I do confess I went to this fourth instalment not expecting  great things. For this I am grateful, because I was actually relatively pleasantly surprised. The run-time on this movie is rather epic at a whopping 136 minutes and the shuffling in the seats around me suggested I wasn’t the only one who found that!

I was intrigued at what they might do with the character of Jack Sparrow, who after all is the main attraction to such a film only because he is played by the excellent Johnny Depp. Depp carried the film all the way through, and with a somewhat limited script did almost as convincing a job as in ‘The Curse of the Black Pearl’. The return of Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa was a let-down; it is difficult not to compare after such an incredible performance from Rush in the King’s Speech (see review here) making us wonder why he went back to the franchise at all. His character development was poor from the previous films and he was not believable in his new role as Captain of the Guard in the British Navy. The addition of the beautiful Penelope Cruz as Angelica held both positive and negative points for me. It seemed her character was trying too hard to fit a preconceived ‘mould’ and the only way they came up with to develop her character was to ensure she ticked the ‘sex appeal’ box: a bit lame and too sexy for a kid’s film.

If the target audience is supposed to be teenagers or kids, this film is far too confusing and as I mentioned above, far too long! However it is not as confusing as it’s predecessor, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which let’s be honest, was so bad that my brand new copy is still in its cellophane wrapper years later. One watch was too many.

Blink and you miss the few cameos in the film; they added interesting little anecdotes but were not hugely necessary to the storyline, nor really the opening London sequence. There were a few throw-backs to the other films, such as a fight sequence with Cruz reminiscent of Captain Sparrow and Mr Turner’s epic battle in The Curse of the Black pearl; similarly the dreaded Island was used again as a ‘drop off spot’ for not Sparrow, but Angelica this time. The return of Kevin McNally as Sparrow’s first mate, Gibbs was intrinsic to the storyline I guess, although not a hugely outstanding performance. The use of large and rather ugly pig was reminiscent of finding Gibb in the pigsty in #1, a little joyous moment perhaps for those loyal fans. Hans Zimmer did a great job with the original score of the movie but this latest instalment fails to offer anything new for us; however I really like the original Score so was not complaining!

On the whole if you don’t take this film too seriously I give it a 2.5 out of 5. It was entertaining and fun, and a scene to watch out for is the Mermaid sequence which is rather spectacular with stunts, live effects and amazing CG work.  New character Astrid Berges-Frisbey was superb I thought, believable and sensitive to the storyline. The relatively attractive Sam Claflin as Philip over played the role of the clergyman a little too much, he came over as just a bit annoying and soppy.

Overall the production design was amazing, the ships were very cool but really, it was such a shame that this chance to reboot the franchise wasn’t capitalised with a better story as unfortunately I found it rather laborious from beginning to end!

A little tip – Do stay until the credits have ended ; it is just about worth the wait (after such a long period sitting in your movie seat) for a little surprise with a possible pointer to POTC5!

**½~~ (2.5/5)

Disney have released this new clip from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which hits UK cinemas 18th May. The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall.

In this clip, we get to find out more about Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Angelica (Penelope Cruz).

Synopsis: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise–this time in Disney Digital 3D(TM). Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), 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 legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

Here it is people, the one you’ve all been waiting for! While Ben is on the red carpet at the European Premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in London, we have our premiere report from the world premiere of the movie which took place earlier in the week courtesy of our friends at Upbeat.

They got to speak to Director Rob Marshall, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and all main cast including Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush and Kevin McNally.

Check out the video below for the interviews and keep your eyes peeled for coverage from the European Premiere tomorrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is released in the UK 18th May.

I had no idea until Brendon from Bleeding Cool told me yesterday that Kermit the Frog is 56 years old! He celebrated his birthday yesterday and then I come home from watching Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to find this video showing Kermit the Frog interviewing the stars of the movie and it’s a right laugh!

You’ll have to wait until next week for our review of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 but if you want a laugh, check out this video of Kermit interviewing the likes of Jerry Bruckheimer, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Keith Richards, Penelope Cruz, director Rob Marshall and many more celebrities at the World Premiere in Disney Land.

The fourth installment of the Disney/Bruckheimer Pirates of the Caribbean is days away from its Cannes debut and we are under strict embargo not to divulge our opinion of the film so we’re bringing you something a little more unusual.

The Legoisation (which should be a word) of popular franchises has the power to breathe new life into otherwise poor properties – is there any doubt at all that the Star Wars prequels video game series would have been gladly ignored had they not been rendered in stunning Leg-o-vision?

While this is not an official video MTV have created their own stop motion video celebrating Captain Jack Sparrow and his merry crew and it’s a true labour of love and well worth a look.

Ahoy!

Disney / Jerry Bruckheimer have released the first clip from the fourth instalment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I’m seeing the movie on Monday and you could come along too by entering out competition to win tickets to a preview screening here. The clip is called Palace escape and does what it says on the tin! Scroll down to check it out.

Synopsis: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise–this time in Disney Digital 3D(TM). Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), 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 legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall and is set to be with us May 18th.

Source: Yahoo

To celebrate the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Disney have been kind enough to give us two pairs of tickets to give away to you, our awesome readers! You could get to see the movie much earlier than anyone else by simply scrolling down and answering the simple question below.

The screening will take place in central London at a West End Venue on 9th May. Doors open at 17.30 with the movie starting 18.30. You can only enter this competition if you are able to make it to London that day to attend.

Synopsis: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise–this time in Disney Digital 3D(TM). Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), 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 legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall and is set to be with us May 18th.

Answer the following question using the form below to enter:

Who plays Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• You may only enter this competition if you are able to attend the screening on 9th May
• The prize does not include travel costs, you must get to London using your own organised transport
• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 5th May 12.00 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Poster courtesy of LoveFilm

Penelope Cruz (Volver) has signed on to star in Venuto al Mondo.

Cruz will reunite with director Sergio Castellitto for the long-gestating Italian war drama, which she hopes will be one of her next projects.

In 2004, Cruz starred in Castellitto’s Don’t Move, which was met by lukewarm reviews upon its release.

Cruz will be seen next in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which opens in the UK on May 18, and recently signed on to star in Woody Allen’s next comedy-drama.

Source: 24 Frames

Here’s a rather photoshop-tastic poster for the fourth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which gives us Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow) who gets all the attention.

The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall and is set to be with us May 18th.

This new poster comes as news hits that Pirates of the Caribbean will play at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Woody Allen’s proclivity to pepper his films with an enviable cast continues apace as Variety confirms the recent rumours that Jesse Eisenberg was to sign on to star in Allen’s next film and goes one further by announcing that Super girl Ellen Page also has a part.

Alec Baldwin was already set to the Rome based film, about which nothing (naturally) is known except that Allen has enlisted his Oscar winning Vicki Christina Barcelona star Penelope Cruz to star.

Eisenberg is a seemingly obivous fit for Allen’s work, while Baldwin worked with the director twenty one years ago in Alice with Mia Farrow, Page is another actress whose star is on the rise and has never yet been anything less than charming in every film I’ve seen her in.

Another film, another great cast – let’s hope this one continues Allen’s resurgence after Match Point and VCB. His latest, Midnight in Paris, opens Cannes next month.

Alec Baldwin (The Departed) has signed on to appear in Woody Allen’s latest as-yet-untitled directorial feature.

Baldwin will star opposite Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), who revealed her involvement last week.

In addition, Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) is also rumoured to be circling the film.

Little is known about the project apart from the fact it will shoot in Rome this summer.

Allen’s Midnight in Paris will open the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival next month.

Source: Sky Movies

Thanks to Rope of Silicon, we get to see the final poster for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which shows all the main big names united together. All of these images I think we’ve seen in their own posters which you can see here.

The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall and is set to be with us May 18th.

Love this little featurette which has been debuted by LoveFilm. It’s for Disney’s new movie which is also produced by action legend Jerry Bruckheimer, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This new featurettes gives us a little look at how the production crew and Captain Jack Sparrow himself (Johnny Depp) arrive at work! It looks like a lot of fun was had during the making of this movie and now we just need to see it in it’s finished state.

The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall and is set to be with us May 18th.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Academy Award-winner Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) revealed that she is set to reprise her successful partnership with writer-director Woody Allen in a new Rome-set film.

Cruz said:

“I know [what I'm doing next], but the thing is that I have to ask the director what I can say and what I cannot say [...] Because he’s very secretive. It’s… it’s a movie with Woody Allen. But I really cannot say anything about the story or the characters.”

While no other details are known, it’s certainly an exciting prospect. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is arguably Allen’s finest film in recent years, and was made all the better by Cruz’s electrifying performance as the turbulent artist María Elena.

While production on their latest collaboration is due to commence in Rome this summer, Cruz will be seen next in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Meanwhile, Allen’s latest directorial feature, Midnight in Paris, will open the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival next month.

We’re not short of material for Jezza B’s latest Pirates of the Caribbean film, but as we drift closer to those Stranger Tides there’s a neat little video out which goes back in time to where Daddy Disney laid out his grand masterplan for total world domination (in terms of zombie pirates at least).

Returning player Geoffrey Rush leads us from the earliest incarnation of the ride, which provided the source material for the bloated sea faring saga, right up give us a glimpse of Pirates of the Caribbean 21. That’s where the bit with a helicopter comes in. Possibly.

It has got some brief swipes of behind the scenes shots and it’s all in the good cause of making people excited for another sequel.

Well people, excited yet?

ComingSoon did so.