"Catch Me If You Can" scribe to pen "Pirates of the Caribbean 5"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Walt Disney Pictures' long gestating "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" project is still underway. After a long time the studio didn't come out with any update on the project, it is now reported that the Mouse House has hired a writer to provide the script for the movie, AceShowbiz said.

Per Variety, Disney taps "Catch Me If You Can" screenwriter Jeff Nathanson to work for the fifth installment of the Captain Jack Sparrow saga. Johnny Depp is set to reprise his role as the iconic pirate though he has yet to sign the deal.

So far, plot details of the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" film are still kept secret. It is also unknown whether the original cast members, such as Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightley, will return to the new film.

Back in May 2011, it was reported that Terry Rossio already penned the script of "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" without his longtime co-writer, Ted Elliott. Though the script was said to be ready, Depp reportedly was not ready to reprise his role.

"It's not something where I would say, 'Let's shoot it next month to get it out by Christmas 2012.' We should hold off for a bit," Depp told The Hollywood Reporter back then. "They should be special, just like they are special to me."

The fifth film will bring back Jerry Bruckheimer as the producer. Depp himself might be returning to Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" sequel project.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise has taken in more than $3.5 billion worldwide, becoming the sixth highest-grossing franchise of all time. Its last installment, 2011's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", bagged more than $1 billion worldwide.