Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (a.k.a. Pirates of the Caribbean 5) is formally set to begin production in Australia by February of next year, which means that directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) will be firming up the cast for the film over the next few months.

Johnny Depp is already in place to reprise his Jack Sparrow character, of course, while Geoffrey Rush is likewise expected to be back playing the pirate Hector Barbossa once more, and Orlando Bloom recently confirmed that he has been in “discussions” to reprise as Will Turner in the movie. Now, Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, best known for his villainous turns in such films as No Country for Old Men and Skyfall, is reported to be in talks to (appropriately enough) play the central antagonist in the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean installment.

Fellow Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz was previously said to be circling the Pirates 5 role that Bardem now has his eye on, but that was nearly a year ago – and seeing as Waltz is currently working on director David Yates’ Tarzan (a big-budgeted adventure where he also plays the main villain), he might be all the less inclined to jump from that project to shooting for the next Pirates of the Caribbean film so soon afterwards.

The Wrap is reporting that Bardem hasn’t closed a deal yet, but “currently holds the offer”; at the least, the actor seems more likely to sign on than last year, when he was the top choice to play another villainous pirate in director Joe Wright’s Peter Pan origins movie – the role of Blackbeard, which Hugh Jackman took instead. And speaking of Blackbeard, The Wrap‘s report says that Ian McShane is “likely” to reprise his role as the famous pirate from the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean installment, On Stranger Tides, while Bloom is only expected to make a cameo as Will.

The storyline for the next Pirates film is rumored to involve witchcraft, the Bermuda Triangle, and deceased sea-farerers, so it could be that McShane’s Blackbeard is returning as a (vengeful) ghost – and it’s possible that Will shall be mortal once again in this film, going by what happened in the post-credits scene featured in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. As for Bardem, rumor has it the role he’s circling is that of a still-living Captain Brand, who’s seeking revenge against Captain Sparrow.

There’s been no word yet on Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz (who, as it were, is married to Bardem) reprising her role as Angelica – Blackbeard’s daughter and Jack’s ex-flame – from On Stranger Tides in the new Pirates installment. Still, the fourth Pirates movie included a post-credits scene that suggested Angelica wasn’t done with Sparrow just yet – and if Dead Men Tell No Tales builds directly on the events in On Stranger Tides (which may be at least partly true), then it would be odd if Cruz didn’t show up at all.

As always, though, we’ll keep you up to speed on the project’s development – and let you know who does (and who does not) end up officially signing up for the next round of pirating in the caribbean (… or somewhere nearby, anyway).

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales/Pirates of the Caribbean 5 opens in U.S. theaters on July 7th, 2017.

http://screenrant.com/pirates-caribb...javier-bardem/