Now that Rob Marshall has settled in and Disney has confirmed that Johnny Depp will be returning for the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, currently entitled On Stranger Tides, the studio is now looking to fill the cast with other well-known actors to keep the financial ball rolling.

First news on that front was that Penelope Cruz would be joining as Jack Sparrow’s new squeeze. More news is coming in that Ian McShane, the man who made swearing an art form on the series Deadwood, is currently in negotiations to play the pirate Black Beard.

The actor is best known for Deadwood, but has also been seen in other great projects such as NBC’s short-lived Kings, and the Andy Samberg comedy Hot Rod. The British actor was last seen in the film 44-inch Chest.

No word yet when we will get official word on McShane’s involvement with the film, but with other great actors such as Geoffrey Rush and Bill Nighy taking parts in the film, this seems to be right in line with that pattern.

What are your thoughts on Ian McShane as Black Beard? Who else would you like to see in the next Pirates film? Sound off in our comments below.

Many people are speculating that Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer’s upcoming Prince of Persia will carry on the financial mantle of the team’s previous franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean. After we took a look at the very first trailer, we’re now inclined to agree with that theory.

The film could also be what finally puts Jake Gyllenhaal on the map as an action star, which may be the logical next step in his career. Alongside Jake, the film stars Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), and comes from a script by Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard (The Uninvited).

Disney just released three new character posters, showing off Kingsley, Arterton, and Gyllenhaal looking stoic. Even Ben has a bit of a photoshop’d twinkle in his eye for some reason. Check them out after the jump, and be sure to “Defy The Future” with Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time on May 28th.

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While most fans of classic cartoons think of Mickey Mouse and a bunch of dancing brooms when we hear “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, it’s also the name of an upcoming Jon Turteltaub film based on the cartoon, starring Nic Cage.

The original cartoon is about Mickey Mouse, an apprentice to a great Sorcerer, who is meant to only clean up the wizard’s lair when he is done “magicing”. When left alone, Mickey decides to play with his own magic and have to room clean up itself. How Bruckheimer and Turteltaub were able to turn this into a 90-minute action comedy about New York City, is astounding.

The film stars Nic Cage as the Sorcerer, Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) plays the reluctant apprentice, and Alfred Molina steps in as the evil sorcerer. The trailer makes the film look like a paid ad for New York City and computer rendering software, so don’t expect much.

Check out the first look after the jump, and catch Disney’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice in theaters July 16, 2010.

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We’ve been trying to cover the brand new Disney epic from the creators of the Pirates of The Carribbean trilogy, with the little promotional material that the studio has already released. That seems to have changed in the past few days, as the first trailer for the film has finally hit the ‘net.

The film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Star Trek’s Gemma Aterton, is based on the classic action/adventure video game about a A rogue prince who reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

The film is directed by Mike Newell, director of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and also stars Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. Check out the first full trailer, thanks to our friends at Trailer Addict, after the jump. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time hits theaters May 28th, 2010.

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Variety reports that Disney is considering Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) to direct the fourth installment of its Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. If successful, the move would easily put the film on track for a 2010 start with Johnny Depp reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.

While Marshall’s involvement has yet to be confirmed, the studio is reportedly moving forward in the casting process, searching for talent to embody new characters that will appear in the picture. Gore Verbinski, who helmed the first three films in the series, stepped away from the fourth film to focus on a movie version of the vidgame BioShock for Universal. With the film’s future is currently on hold, Verbinski has moved on to other directing and producing projects.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney have been meeting with a several directors in recent weeks, since the studio would like Depp to star in it before he begins work on The Lone Ranger.  Regardless of who Disney taps for the next film, it will be certainly be big business for Disney, whose first three Pirates flicks grossed $2.6 billion worldwide.

With both historical fantasies and video game adaptations hot properties to snatch up in Hollywood, how could a new film starring Jake Gyllenhaal as an “adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world” NOT be an amazing idea for a movie? Well, if this new picture tells us anything, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time may actually be a fun flick.

Entertainment Weekly had the pic up over the weekend (bigger size after the jump), which is the first of probably many to come. The film features only a few other names besides Gyllenhaal, which is surprising given the nature of the film, and the fact that it’s a Disney and Bruckheimer project. These include Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, and rising star Gemma Arterton (Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace).

UPDATE: The first poster for Prince of Persia has also been released online. Check it out after the jump!

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Legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been quite a busy man, particularly of late. He’s been the driving force behind the Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure franchises, both of which have been the flagship action and adventure films of the past few years.

He’s also been working on the Nic Cage vehicle The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and an adaption of the video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s also got a few rather popular shows on tv at the moment that you might have heard of.

Recently, ComingSoon caught up with Bruckheimer  to talk about the future of the Pirates franchise and how that future could affect The Lone Ranger. According to the site:

“Bruckheimer told us that for Disney, the priority is most definitely “Pirates.” “It’s a great franchise for them and for us, too,” he said. “A beloved character and Johnny’s really excited about coming back to Captain Jack. He certainly is interested in Tonto, but Disney’s priority is to get ‘Pirates’ made first. You never know what’s going to happen, but they would like it.”

Bruckheimer also shared that the original writers, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot, were “writing ‘Pirates’ as we speak,” and he said it was “funny” and a “whole new way of going” although he wouldn’t share more than that.

When asked if Gore Verbinski will return to the director’s chair for the fourth Pirate’s film, Bruckheimer said that he’d “love for him to return, given his history with the franchise, but the ball is 100% in Verbinsnki’s court.”

Lone Ranger currently has a tentative release date sometime in 2012.