Pirate Brand - arhhh!

Rumours are abound that recently disgraced (by way of a Daily Mail bandwagon) Russell Brand will star in the next Pirates of the Caribbean as Captain Jack Sparrow's brother.

He has the look, as the above photo of him dressed as Captain Jack shows, and his general demeanour is pretty much there already. Does he have the acting skills? I've not seen St. Trinians or Forgetting Sarah Marshall to pass comment on that, but I have high hopes...on the high seas?

Pirates Online - 1 Year!

MMOG = Massively Multiplayer Online Game

Pirates Online is a Pirates of the Caribbean MMOG, apparently! I recall hearing about this when it was in development, but then our son came along and I thought nothing more of it. It's been going for a year a now and some fun stats about the game are thus:

- Ships Sunk: 121,602,136

- Hands of Blackjack Played: 19,815,360

- Number of Ship Repairs Completed: 33,829,645

- Tattoos Purchased: 288,547

It's free to play and can be downloaded here - maybe when things calm down a bit I too can fulfil those pirate dreams, virtually.

Captain Zac!

Following on from Zac Efron's announcement that High School Musical 3 would be his last in the franchise, he has signed up to star in the 4th installment of the continuing Pirates of the Caribbean saga.

Keen to keep arguably the most popular star among teens in the world on their books, Disney have shifted from one popular franchise to another. With Efron starring alongside Johnny Depp in the upcoming pirate tale, is there a female alive that won't want to see this film?

Forumla 1 at Disneyland Resort Paris

It's like somebody read my mind decided to put two of my favourite things together! The latest news is that Disneyland Resort Paris is the preferred venue of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone for the 2010 French Grand Prix. The final shortlist of 4 venues will be released on October 15th - here's hoping!

Though it would be an immensely expensive trip it would be a once in a life time opportunity (unless my lottery numbers come up) to combine a holiday at Disneyland Resort Paris with attending a Formula 1 Grand Prix in person. Throw in a Pirates of the Caribbean 4 premiere and it'd be beyond perfect!

The French Grand Prix is held in June which is the perfect time to visit Disneyland Resort Paris, not that I've been in June! However, off season and nice weather make it a very attractive proposition.

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is a go!

In the best film related news since the announcement of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its subsequent sequels, a 4th Pirates of the Caribbean has been all but confirmed!

Yes, the mighty Johnny Depp will be reprising his role as the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow, but there will be no return for Knightly and Bloom, so no Elizabeth and Will. The Hollywood grapevine is saying that Geoffrey Rush will be back which means Captain Barbossa graces our screens once more and that Gore Verbinski will be back at the helm to direct.

With the announcement of Depp and Rush I am hoping for a prequel which will story the conflict between Sparrow and Rush that was alluded to in the first film. The story of Elizabeth and Will has run its course so their absence won't be missed here. Other characters I'd like to see return are Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook as Pintel and Ragetti respectively, and possibly Naomie Harris as Tia Dalma to tell the story of her time with Barbossa. Stellan Skarsgård as Bootstrap Bill would seem appropriate too and would be an extra family tie in to the first three films.

As an obsessive of the ride at Disneyland Resort Paris ride and a huge fan of the first three films, I am overjoyed that a 4th film is more than likely going to be made - Yo Ho Yo Ho, A Pirates Life For Me - Indeed!