Articles from July 2011



Johnny Depp films cameo for Ricky Gervais’s BBC series, “Life’s Too Short”–new photo!

Johnny Depp took advantage of days off in his Dark Shadows shooting schedule to film a cameo appearance on Ricky Gervais’s new BBC comedy series, “Life’s Too Short.” Gervais wrote on his blog, “I should maybe tell you all about filming with Johnny Depp soon. The truth is I don’t know where to start. It was [expletive deleted] amazing basically.” Mr. Gervais was kind enough to share a photo of himself and Johnny, and they are both looking happy and relaxed; you can see a larger version of the photo HERE. “Life’s Too Short” will begin its run on the BBC this fall; Deadline.com reports that the series has been picked up by HBO to air in the U.S. in 2012.

The Zone thanks Emma, Sleepy, and Coruscate for sharing news about Johnny’s appearance on “Life’s Too Short.” You can read more about it on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Pictures of DARK SHADOWS filming! No cast members, though . . . .

The photo at left shows director Tim Burton on the set of his current film, Dark Shadows, on July 26th; filming was taking place at night in Beckhenham Place Park, Beckenham, in South East London, with the park’s golf course closed. Johnny Depp, who plays the vampire Barnabas Collins, was not involved in this sequence; local newspaper reports and tweets from passers-by suggest that Eva Green (who plays Angelique) and Helena Bonham Carter (who plays Dr. Julia Hoffman) — and an intrepid stunt woman — were featured in this scene. Security, as always on a Tim Burton film, was tight, and very few spoilers emerged; if you are curious, you can read more on the Dark Shadows thread on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

To see a larger version of the photo of Tim Burton on-set, CLICK HERE, and to see spoiler-free pictures of the beautiful set by day and night, CLICK HERE and HERE. The Zone thanks Emma and HonestGirl for updates and photos.

Announcing a new gallery for the Zone–THE TOURIST!

The Zone is happy to announce a new addition to our permanent photo galleries! Our newest gallery celebrates The Tourist, and features 36 beautiful photos and screencaps of Johnny in his role as Frank Tupelo, the hapless (or maybe not) traveler drawn into intrigue by a beautiful woman (Angelina Jolie) in Venice. To see the new gallery, click on the PHOTO GALLERIES button above, select the BY FILM section, and choose The Tourist from the index of galleries — it’s the last one on the list. The Tourist is also currently featured in our Gallery Showcase, next to the Picture of the Week.

Many thanks to Evochka, AnaMaria, Emma, Hiro3, and Theresa, for contributing scans or screencaps to the gallery. We hope you enjoy it!

ComicCon: Four members of the original DARK SHADOWS cast have cameos in the Tim Burton version!

Hermes Press hosted a Dark Shadows panel at ComicCon on Friday, July 22, which featured original TV cast members Lara Parker (Angelique) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans and Josette du Pres), as well as Jim Pierson, consulting producer for the new Dark Shadows film, and the son of series creator Dan Curtis. Tweets and blog postings from those who attended the panel confirm that four of the original cast members will be making cameo appearances in Tim Burton’s new Dark Shadows film. Several weeks ago we reported that Jonathan Frid, who created the iconic role of Barnabas Collins, would be making an appearance; now we know that Ms. Parker and Ms. Scott also have cameos, and so does David Selby, who played Quentin Collins. That’s wonderful news for longtime fans, who will love seeing their favorites again.

Here’s an eyewitness report from DreadCentral.com: “Parker and Scott were just about bursting at the seams to share the news that they, along with both David Selby (Quentin Collins) and, yes, the much beloved Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) spent three days at Pinewood Studios during the filming of Burton’s upcoming Dark Shadows movie. They will all be making cameos, but the real highlight for the quartet was being able to thank Johnny Depp (who plays Barnabas in the new version) for all the kind words and tributes he has given the 45-year-old show, especially as it relates to Frid and his performance. The icing on the cake was Depp telling Frid in person, ‘None of this would be here if it wasn’t for you.'”

Many thanks to The Woman in Black for her report: you can read it all HERE. You can read more accounts of the ComicCon panel, and other Dark Shadows news and tweets, on the Zone’s News & Views forum; many thanks to Cyn and Emma for the updates.

Helena Bonham Carter, Dwight Yoakam, Barry Pepper to join LONE RANGER cast

With filming scheduled to begin around Halloween, director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are moving quickly to cast key roles in their new version of the Western classic Lone Ranger. Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter, currently filming Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp in the UK and gracing movie screens in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, is in talks to play “the madam of a brothel who deals with gentlemen and scoundrels,” according to Borys Kit of the Hollywood Reporter. Well, every old West town needs a madam, with or without a heart of gold . . . . The photo at left shows Helena and Johnny in their roles as Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd; they also appeared together in Alice in Wonderland and Corpse Bride, and Helena played Charlie Bucket’s mother in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which Johnny played Wily Wonka.

Dwight Yoakam will play a villain, rumored to be the leader of the gang that attacks the ranger (Armie Hammer) and leaves him for dead, while Barry Pepper will play a military officer. They will join an impressive cast that includes Johnny Depp as Tonto, Armie Hammer as the ranger, Ruth Wilson as Rebecca, and veteran character actor Tom Wilkinson as “a railroad tycoon with dubious intentions.”

The Zone thanks Sleepy for sharing the news; you can read much more about Lone Ranger on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is now the #6 movie of all time!

A funny thing happened while American movie critics weren’t looking: Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp in his fourth voyage as Captain Jack Sparrow and Penelope Cruz in her debut as a swashbuckling pirate, quietly sailed past Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and into 6th place on the all-time box-office list. According to the Hollywood Reporter, On Stranger Tides earned another $3.1 million at the foreign box office this weekend, bringing its overseas total to $791.4 million. That gives On Stranger Tides a current worldwide box office gross of $1.029 billion, “making the fourth Pirates sequel starring Johnny Depp the sixth biggest release of all time.” Congratulations!

The Zone thanks Sleepy and Shadowydog for sharing the news; you can read more about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp to film IN THE HAND OF DANTE for Julian Schnabel?

Interesting news from director Julian Schnabel, who told The Playlist’s Jeff Otto that his next film project could be In the Hand of Dante, based on the novel by Nick Tosches. Infinitum Nihil picked up the rights to In the Hand of Dante in 2008, but Johnny Depp had declared his affection for the novel much earlier, in an interview with Gregory Katz published in 2003. “I read anything by Nick Tosches,” he told Katz. In a joint interview with Tosches that aired on French television in 2002, Johnny pronounced Tosches “a kindred spirit” and “one of a handful of writers [. . .] who has the ability to keep literature alive.” In the Hand of Dante is a literary tour-de-force which weaves together two separate stories: one set in the 14th century, as Dante tries to finish The Divine Comedy, and the other set in 2001, where Dante expert Nick Tosches is asked by black market traders to authenticate what might be Dante’s original manuscript of his masterwork.

Schnabel appears to share Johnny’s enthusiasm for the novel: “There’s a great book called In the Hand of Dante by Nick Tosches,” Schnabel told The Playlist. “It belongs to Johnny, but I’m not going to make it for a couple of years. We’re gonna work on writing it, developing it. We didn’t sign anything. It’s just something Johnny asked me to read — and I think it’s a great book so maybe you should read it. It’s pretty beautiful. It’s about everything.”

Schnabel directed Johnny in Before Night Falls, in which Johnny played two memorable roles: the ruthless interrogator Lt. Victor, and the flamboyant transvestite Bon Bon. Schnabel received an Oscar nomination as Best Director for 2007’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He is also a well-known artist and painter. He took the photo of Johnny, above left, in 1999: you can see a larger version HERE.

The Zone thanks Theresa for breaking the news; you can read more about the Julian Schnabel interview on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Watch the trailer for Martin Scorsese’s HUGO here!

Why are we showing the trailer for Martin Scorsese’s magical, visually stunning new film Hugo on the Johnny Depp Zone? Because Hugo is a production of GK Films and Johnny’s Infinitum Nihil. This family-friendly film, based on Brian Selznick’s award-winning children’s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, follows the adventures of an orphan boy (Asa Butterfield) living in a Parisian train station in the 1930s and exploring fantastic mechanical inventions with a new friend (Chloe Moretz). Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Jude Law also star. You can see the trailer here:

Hugo will be in movie theaters on the day before Thanksgiving: November 23, 2011. We can’t wait!

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on October 18th!

The summer box-office smash Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will be available for purchase in North America in several formats on October 18, 2011. The fanciest edition is a 5-disc Limited Edition Combo Pack that includes Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy versions, as well as an additional Blu-ray disc for special features. A standard Blu-ray and DVD set has also been announced, but will omit various bonus features included on the 5-disc set. As always, this will be available in either Blu-ray or DVD packaging. The Limited Edition 5-disc package has a list price of (gasp!) $49.99 while the 2-disc set has been priced at $39.99.

A caveat about the Blu-ray 3D feature; the Amazon.com website warns that the “Blu-ray disc will display only in 2D without special hardware. To watch this movie in Blu-ray 3D, you will need a 3D-capable television that comes with active-shutter glasses and a 3D-capable Blu-ray player.” Some good news, though — the 5-disc Limited Edition is available for pre-order from Amazon for $34.99 with free shipping, a savings of $15.

The Zone thanks Theresa for sharing the news; you can read more about the Blu-ray and DVD release of On Stranger Tides, and the various options available for purchase, on the Zone’s News & Views forum. For a larger view of the cover art, CLICK HERE.

LONE RANGER’S leading lady may be UK’s Ruth Wilson–casting news!

The lovely redhead on the left is Ruth Wilson, currently reported to be in talks to play the role of Rebecca, the female lead in Disney’s Lone Ranger. An up-and-coming actor with plenty of range, Wilson would join Johnny Depp (as Tonto) and Armie Hammer (as the Ranger) in Gore Verbinski’s new version of the Western classic. While largely unknown in the U.S., Ms. Wilson has a Golden Globe and BAFTA Best Actress nomination for playing the title role in 2006’s Jane Eyre television miniseries, which aired in the U.S. on Masterpiece Theatre. She has also played Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at London’s Donmar Theatre and Tanya in Gorky’s Philistines at the National Theatre. She had a recurring role in the recent TV remake of The Prisoner, and has been most recently seen as Alice Morgan on the BBC’s Luther.

The Zone thanks Fireflydances and Sleepy for sharing the casting news. You can read more about Lone Ranger on the Zone’s News & Views forum. To see a larger photo of Ruth Wilson, CLICK HERE.

Surprise! Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil has two new Disney projects–Paul Revere and The Night Stalker!

Apparently Johnny Depp doesn’t have enough to keep him busy, because his production company, Infinitum Nihil, is teaming up with Disney on two new feature film projects: a drama about Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride of 1775 (somewhere Longfellow is smiling) and a big-screen version of the 70s TV series The Night Stalker. “Depp is the potential star of both films and he and his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski will produce,” reports Mike Fleming of Deadline.com today.

The Night Stalker was a TV-movie and series about a sardonic tabloid reporter, Carl Kolchak (played by Darren McGavin), whose investigations invariably involved the paranormal and supernatural — vampires, zombies, werewolves and aliens. The series was produced by Dan Curtis, who also produced Dark Shadows, and featured his trademark blend of horror, suspense, and dark comedy.

The historical drama about Paul Revere “will focus on the Boston silversmith and that 24-hour period in which he made the risky ‘midnight ride’ from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, becoming a seminal figure in the American Revolutionary War,” writes Fleming. Lee and Janet Batchler, who wrote Batman Forever, will write the screenplay; Jon Brown and Margaret French-Isaac of Infinitum Nihil will be executive producers.

These new projects will keep Johnny Depp working with Disney for some time to come; his next project, after he wraps Dark Shadows for Tim Burton, will be the Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Lone Ranger, directed by Gore Verbinski, in which Johnny is set to play Tonto. However, “insiders have denied a story in The Wrap [. . .] that Depp is set for a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean,” writes Fleming.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for breaking the news; you can read more about the Paul Revere and Night Stalker projects on the Zone’s News & Views forum. You can read the Fleming article HERE.

Casting underway for LONE RANGER, starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer; film will shoot in New Mexico and Texas

An official casting notice has been sent out by Walt Disney Pictures for its upcoming Western Lone Ranger, to be directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Lone Ranger will star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the masked Ranger; now the supporting roles must be filled. According to the press release, “The film’s main stars are being cast in Los Angeles, and smaller speaking roles, extras, stand-ins, and photo-doubles for the film’s stars are being cast in New Mexico and Texas, where shooting will take place.” Those states have been long rumored as likely filming locations, but this is the first official confirmation of that.

Thomas Robinson Harper will be the Stunt Coordinator for Lone Ranger. Harper served as Stunt Coordinator for Cowboys & Aliens, so he knows his way around horses; he also lists Thor and Iron Man 2 on his impressive resume.

Actors in the Southwest who would love to saddle up for Lone Ranger will be happy to hear that there will be open casting calls scheduled for New Mexico and Texas as the filming dates approach. According to the press release, Lone Ranger “is listed at the Screen Actors Guild as having a shooting schedule from October 31, 2011 through May 5, 2012.”

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the news; you can read more about Lone Ranger on the Zone’s News & Views forum. You can read the press release HERE.

Gore Verbinski’s RANGO, starring Johnny Depp, arrives on DVD on July 15th!

Saddle up and get to your favorite video outlet, pardner . . . Gore Verbinski’s animated treasure Rango arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on Friday, July 15th! (Yup . . . Friday, not the usual Tuesday release.) Here’s the product description from Amazon.com: “Get ready to tango with Rango, a winner with critics and audiences that’s ‘like nothing you’ve ever seen before’ (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Johnny Depp is spectacular as Rango, a kooky pet chameleon who gets tossed into a wild and raucous town in desperate need of a hero. Refreshingly original with eye-popping animation, Rango is ‘loads of fun and genuinely funny’ (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times).”

Rango is being offered in a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy featuring the never-before-seen ending, 10 deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes feature with the cast and crew, a filmmakers’ commentary, and exclusive interactive Blu-ray features including picture-in-picture storyboards and an interactive field trip to Dirt. Rango is also available in a DVD edition which includes the never-before-seen ending, the filmmakers’ commentary and the 10 deleted scenes. Amazon has excellent pre-order prices of $19.99 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack and $15.99 for the DVD, including free standard shipping. Enter the code RANGO5GO at checkout and save an extra $5 on either the Blu-Ray or the DVD!

Happy 8th anniversary to Captain Jack Sparrow and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL!

Believe it or not, it was exactly eight years ago today that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl opened in movie theaters across North America, and the public got its first glimpse of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. Critics were predisposed to sneer at a movie inspired by a theme-park ride — was there even one review that failed to highlight that fact, or to mention that the pirate movie was a dead genre? — but ecstatic word-of-mouth soon made the pundits and past history irrelevant. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl eventually claimed box-office booty of $654 million worldwide, lodged its colorful characters permanently in the popular imagination, and launched three fantastically successful sequels, the latest of which, On Stranger Tides, just notched $1 billion at the box office. Now Captain Jack Sparrow’s boast is true around the world: everyone has heard of him. Huzzah!

Johnny Depp’s performance in The Curse of the Black Pearl earned him an Oscar nomination and a SAG Award as Best Actor. “His performance is original in its every atom,” wrote Roger Ebert in his review. “There has never been a pirate, or for that matter a human being, like this in any other movie.” Critic Emmanuel Levy has called Captain Jack Sparrow “the only iconic screen character to have yet emerged in the new millenium.”

The Zone congratulates all of the dedicated artists who worked on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; you have given us more hours of pleasure and pure entertainment than we could possibly count. Many thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, writers Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott, and those executives at Disney who decided not to fire Johnny Depp. And thanks, above all, to Johnny Depp himself . . . the best pirate we’ve ever seen.

We’re celebrating! It’s the Zone’s 7th Birthday at this site!

It’s our seventh birthday! Sleepy and I started the Johnny Depp Zone on this site seven years ago, continuing the Johnny Depp Zone tradition that has been operating in one form or another for more than 13 years.

We officially opened the “new” Zone on July 9, 2004, the first anniversary of the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. When we began the website, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had just started shooting at Pinewood, Corpse Bride had just been announced, there were rumors Finding Neverland would finally be released in the fall, and Johnny’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, had just been formed. The Libertine was in post-production and headed for a work-in-progress showing at the Toronto Film Festival.

How time flies! Not only have we seen Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and The Libertine make their way into theaters, but we’ve watched every step of the production of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End, and On Stranger Tides; we’ve heard Johnny sing his way to a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination in Sweeney Todd; we’ve seen him shoot up the screen as Dillinger in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, charm us as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s blockbuster Alice in Wonderland, intrigue Angelina Jolie in The Tourist and ride to the rescue as Rango.

Now Johnny is busy filming Dark Shadows, a longtime dream project, for Tim Burton, while another dream project, Bruce Robinson’s version of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary, heads to movie theaters in October. This fall Johnny will play Tonto in Gore Verbinski’s version of Lone Ranger, and a remake of The Thin Man, with Johnny playing suave detective Nick Charles for director Rob Marshall, is also in the works. The year to come will surely be a busy and delightful one!

As we celebrate and reminisce today, I’d like to thank Sleepy and Theresa for their constant help and support, and to salute our ONBC moderators, Liz and DeppintheHeartofTexas, for their dedication and hard work. Without them, we wouldn’t have a Zone. Many thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way, to all our staff past and present, to Andre for his technical wizardry, and to all of our members for making the Zone a wonderful place to be. And thanks to Moonbeam for the delightful birthday card.

Most of all, thanks and much love always to Johnny Depp, for being a continual source of inspiration and delight–he’s the reason we’re here!

DARK SHADOWS is “amazing,” co-star Chloe Moretz tells the press

At the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, actor Chloe Moretz, currently at work on Tim Burton’s version of the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, declared that “Tim Burton fans will be thrilled” with the film. Moretz plays Carolyn Stoddard, the teenage daughter of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. According to Moretz, the filming is going “phenomenally well.” Said Moretz, “It’s amazing. I can’t really say much about it, but you guys are really gonna love it. It’s coming out next year.”

In other Dark Shadows news, there will be a panel at Comic Con on Friday, July 22, from 6 – 7 p.m. devoted to the classic TV series and the new Tim Burton film. Lara Parker (Angelique from TV’s Dark Shadows), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans and Josette DuPres from Dark Shadows), Jim Pierson (consulting producer for the new Dark Shadows film), and Daniel Herman (publisher, Hermes Press) will talk about the classic show, the comic book, and print tie-ins. Expect a few sanctioned tidbits about the Dark Shadows film, too, as well as many attempts to uncover secrets during the Q&A session.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the news; you can read more about Dark Shadows on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

New 21 JUMP STREET movie wraps; look for brief cameo by Johnny Depp

Jonah Hill, who stars in and co-wrote the upcoming big-screen version of 21 Jump Street, sent out a tweet confirming that the film has wrapped. Hill and Channing Tatum play young(ish) police officers tapped to go undercover at a high school; Hill describes the update of the late ’80s television series as “an R-rated, insane, Bad Boys-meets-John Hughes-type movie.” Always a good sport, Johnny Depp took time to film a cameo for the new Jump Street earlier this spring; no details have leaked about his contribution, but expect it to be extremely brief, raunchily comic, and tinged with the absurd. JD shot to fame playing Officer Tom Hanson on the original 21 Jump Street, of course; those episodes are available on DVD. The Hill-and-Tatum version debuts on March 16, 2012.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the news; you can read more about the 21 Jump Street film on the Zone’s Porch General Discussion forum.

Oprah Noodlemantra’s Book Club begins tidbits on A. C. Crispin’s THE PRICE OF FREEDOM today!

Oprah Noodlemantra’s Book Club begins a voyage to the backstory of our beloved Captain Jack Sparrow today, as ONBC begins delving into A. C. Crispin’s new Pirates of the Caribbean novel, The Price of Freedom! ONBC moderators Liz and DeppintheHeartofTexas will begin offering tidbits today — historical, biographical, and geographical notes that help fill in the background of the novel — with the discussion of The Price of Freedom starting on July 21st. Why not pick up a copy and join the ONBC crew? All are welcome!

As a special ONBC treat, DeppintheHeartofTexas and Liz will be conducting a new Q&A with author Ann C. Crispin; you can read their previous Q&A with the delightful Ms. Crispin HERE. She explains how she became a writer, how she was chosen by Disney to write Captain Jack’s backstory, and how she approached her task. It will be wonderful to hear more from her! You can see a larger version of Liz’s ONBC book cover for The Price of Freedom, featuring the discussion dates, HERE.

Another new casting rumor–Johnny Depp to play Jazz Age magician in CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL?

Here’s a tantalizing new casting rumor: Steven Zeitchik of the Los Angeles Times Movies blog reports that Warner Bros. has just put Carter Beats the Devil, an adaptation of Glen David Gold’s 2002 novel, on the front burner, and hopes to entice Johnny Depp to play the leading role of Jazz Age magician Charles Carter. “Gold’s bestseller is a 1920s historical mystery in which the titular magician, Charles Carter, stages a sawed-in-half trick on President Warren G. Harding, only to be forced on the lam after Harding mysteriously dies shortly after,” writes Zeitchik. Although an earlier attempt by Tom Cruise to develop the property for himself died on the vine, inside sources at Warner Bros. have told Zeitchik that “a new version of the script has been completed and turned in to the studio,” and “Warner Bros. has put Johnny Depp atop the list of actors it wants to play Carter” because of JD’s strong track record of playing “eccentric showmen.”

A search is currently underway for a director for Carter Beats the Devil; Zeitchik reports that agents at “three of the largest Hollywood agencies” confirmed to him that Warner Bros. “has put the word out [. . . ]that it’s looking to fill the position.” Intriguing!

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the LA Times article; you can read more on the Zone’s Porch General Discussion forum. Mr. Zeitchik’s article is available HERE.

Yo, ho! PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES sails to $1 billion at the worldwide box office!

That rogue, Captain Jack Sparrow, has sailed into the record books again! Disney announced today that its fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides, has officially grossed more than $1 billion worldwide (that’s billion with a B) since its May 20 release. Congratulations to Jerry Bruckheimer, Rob Marshall, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, and the whole On Stranger Tides cast and crew! On Stranger Tides joins its sister-ship, 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest, in the $1 billion club; Dead Man’s Chest finished its run with $1.066 billion.

On Stranger Tides‘s coffers have been buoyed by an incredible performance at the international box office. With an overseas total of $756.1 million as this weekend began, On Stranger Tides is already the third biggest international grosser of all time, behind James Cameron’s Avatar ($2.02 billion) and Titanic ($1.24 billion).

On Stranger Tides becomes the third Disney film in the past 18 months to cross the $1 billion threshold; the others were Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland. That means three of Disney’s four billion-dollar movies star Johnny Depp. JD, take a bow!

The Zone thanks Sleepy for sharing the box office news; you can read more about On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.