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The latest POTC casting rumor has Gore Verbinski flying to Hong Kong to approach renowned Chinese actor Chow Yun Fat about appearing in the POTC sequels. Chow Yun Fat is familiar to U.S. audiences for his starring roles in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON; ANNA AND THE KING; and BULLETPROOF MONK. The actor’s wife, Jasmin Chan Wui-nin, reports that Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski first spoke to Chow’s management company in the U.S. two months ago; then, last week, director Verbinski flew to Hong Kong to discuss the screenplay with Chow. The POTC character is apparently inspired by a famous Chinese pirate named Cheung Po Tsai. Thanks to Hong Kong Zoner emosniw for breaking the casting news, and to Gilbert’s Girl for posting the followup story on the News & Views forum.

Fans of Willy Wonka will be delighted to hear the news–CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY will hit the really big silver screen this summer! Warner Bros. Pictures and the IMAX Corporation have announced that CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, “the highly anticipated film reuniting Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, [. . .] will be simultaneously released to IMAX and conventional 35mm theatres on July 15th, 2005.” Dan Fellman, the President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, notes that Warner Bros. has enjoyed “outstanding” results from releasing their major pictures on IMAX: “[We] offer audiences a uniquely immersive way to experience our blockbuster pictures. We look forward to working with IMAX on CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and presenting Tim Burton’s next masterpiece in IMAX’s format.” Adds IMAX’s chairman, Greg Foster: “CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is a magical story based on a renowned piece of literature from an imaginative filmmaker; it’s an ideal IMAX release that will appeal to [. . .] moviegoers of all ages.” Thanks to DeepinDepp for posting the story on the News & Views forum. You can read the full story HERE.