More news about the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels: producer Bruce Hendricks told the crowd at the El Capitan Theater last week that Keith Richards was not signed for POTC 2, but he left open the possibility that Keith would play Jack Sparrow’s dad in POTC 3 . . . . Intriguing casting calls for extras posted by emma on the News & Views forum indicate that there will be female pirates this time around, as well as “extremely emaciated” male pirates . . . . Finally, Geoffrey Rush told Dark Horizons that he is not yet confirmed for POTC 2 and 3 but is “keeping himself available” in case the call comes–and it seems likely it will. “It is not an official announcement,” Rush told Dark Horizons, “but at the moment I am on hold until there is a date somewhere late January where I think they are going to roll out the schedule and the scripts. They have got a big job ahead of them, as they are going to shoot two and three together for logistical reasons and they are certainly determined not to make it a sausage machine project. It seems they are very keen on expanding the possibility of what Barbossa and Jack Sparrow and all the characters get involved in, and I think they are going to take into some quite fantastical and surprisingly new directions,” promises Rush. Thanks to Gilbert’s Girl for posting this story.