JohnnyDepp-Zone.com

The Rocky Mountain News reports that, as Jerry Bruckheimer hoped, “PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 and 3 will be shot at the same time–beginning late February in the Caribbean. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush are back aboard, with director Gore Verbinski at the helm.” Other reports have the start of filming pushed to the beginning of March, to allow awards season to finish, just in case a certain leading actor might have some important engagements on his calendar for the end of February. We certainly hope so!

In other POTC sequel casting news, the Rocky Mountain News reports that a new female character will appear in both sequels. She is “Tia Dalma, a jewelry-covered gypsy queen with tattoos, dreadlocks and clairvoyant powers. The role is being cast now, and, almost unheard-of in casting notices, word is she doesn’t have to be beautiful.” That sound you hear is every actress in Hollywood rushing her headshot and resume to her agent. The Zone thanks Emma for posting the story on the News & Views forum. For the full story, go HERE .

Finally, Emma caught the following news item just posted at Dark Horizons: the “rumoured working title” for the first sequel is PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2: DEAD MAN’S CHEST. That has an appropriately piratical ring to it, and Depp fans can’t help but enjoy the allusion to Johnny’s previous DEAD MAN. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum to the POTC scribes!

No rest for the hardest-working actor in the business–having wrapped his Willy Wonka role on Friday, Johnny Depp was photographed by paparazzi at Cipriani’s posh restaurant in Mayfair on Monday night, November 29th. He was photographed inside the building with his PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN director, Gore Verbinski, while producer Jerry Bruckheimer was caught by other photographers in the parking lot. Certainly sounds as if the three were meeting to discuss the POTC sequels which begin shooting in March. Johnny looked fit and fabulous in a sleeveless black-and-white striped shirt, khakis with Captain Jack bead dangles, newsboy cap and glasses. The Zone thanks sugakookies78 for posting the pictures; to view them, visit our Recent Pics forum.