Javier Bardem in Talks to Star in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5

Javier Bardem ("Skyfall") is in talks to join Disney's sequel "Pirates of the Caribbean 5". Bardem is negotiating to play the villain, a ghost captain who blames Jack Sparrow for the death of his brother and sets out on a quest for a supernatural item that will help him take his revenge. The role was initially rumored to have been offered to Christoph Waltz, but it is definitely Bardem who is in talks now.

The film has been in pre-production for over a year and it will be directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg ("Kon-Tiki"). Johnny Depp is set to return to the franchise as soon as he finishes work on "Alice in Wonderland 2" and he will be joined by Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, Ian McShane and Stephen Graham, with the possibility of cameo appearances from Orlando Bloom and Keith Richards.

"Pirates of the Caribbean 5" will begin filming next year in February in Australia and the release date has been set for July 2017.

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DVD & Blu-Ray: KON-TIKI Oscar Nominee Best Foreign Language Film

KON-TIKI

Rated: PG-13 | Runtime: 118 min | Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay

Synopsis: Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) crossed the Pacific ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans already back in pre-Columbian times could have crossed the sea and settle on Polynesian islands. After gathering financing for the trip with loans and donations, they set off on an epic 101 day-long journey across 8,000 kilometers, all while the world was watching. KON-TIKI tells about the origin of Heyerdahl’s idea and the events surrounding the group’s voyage.

Buy from Amazon.com (Click links to order / pre-order):

• DVD ($19.99) - 1 Disc
• Blu-Ray + DVD Combo ($24.99) - 2 Discs
• Amazon Instant Video

Read about the special features and more details after the jump.

New Directors Hired for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise is not exactly doing great. With the overblown sequels in the main trilogy and a fourth film that tried to reboot the formula but was too much of a muddled mess to be a good sequel, it's no surprise that Disney is looking for new directions for their fifth installment. And so, the studio and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have come across directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg who were recently nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for their historical high-seas adventure "Kon-Tiki". Both have been signed on to direct the sequel, and one can see how this might actually work. I think Disney's decision is smart and bold, but it remains to be seen how well the two helmers can handle a big budget visual effects extravaganza like this. A first draft for the "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" script has already been written by Jeff Nathanson ("Catch Me If You Can") and Johnny Depp is signed on to return as Jack Sparrow. If all goes well, production should begin later this year.

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