'Pirates 4' out to prove that its ship hasn't sailed

By Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

Captain Jack Sparrow leads a mission to find the fabled Fountain of Youth in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, opening Friday. He's not the only one who is looking for a little rejuvenation.

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  By Peter Mountain,, Disney Enterprises

  Ian McShane comes aboard as villainous pirate Blackbeard, joining Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

By Peter Mountain,, Disney Enterprises

Ian McShane comes aboard as villainous pirate Blackbeard, joining Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

The filmmakers are on a similar quest, hoping the fourth installment will put youthful swagger back into a blockbuster film franchise that is now 8 years old.

"Two and three get bashed a little bit," concedes producer Jerry Bruckheimer, referring to 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and 2007's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

The critical sniping had little to do with box-office riches: Dead Man's Chest brought in $1.06 billion worldwide, and At World's End followed with $936 million.

"Two was the biggest of the bunch, and three made almost a billion dollars," Bruckheimer says. "They were both enormously successful movies." But that didn't stop the producer from taking extreme steps to ensure a "fresh start" for the franchise, originally heralded for its breezy originality.

Though Johnny Depp remains as the dreadlocked, eyeliner-loving Sparrow, gone are some of the more familiar names, including franchise director Gore Verbinski. (Chicago director Rob Marshall takes over.)

Original stars Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom also have sailed, replaced with the likes of Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane and hunky newcomer Sam Claflin.

Bruckheimer says the changes are a natural part of the storytelling process following the completion of the original trilogy. "Changing things up is part of the fun,'' he says.

There are still familiar names, such as Geoffrey Rush, whose Barbossa character survived death and hte loss of a leg.

Kevin McNally, who plays Sparrow's right-hand man, Joshamee Gibbs, also returns and agrees that the fourth film is a reboot of what audiences have come to expect.

"We're going into a completely different direction, and we've got so much more of this to explore," he says.

The plot, which was derided in the previous two films, was the first thing to get an overhaul. The streamlined story line contains a healthy dose of history (Ponce de Le?n), dangerous and alluring mermaids, and a shorter running length (Tides is a half-hour shorter than its predecessor).

"We took our time," Bruckheimer says. "We got it right."

Despite the daunting task of leading the charge, Marshall says, he felt completely at peace with the project.

"My mandate was to do my movie," he says. "They said, 'Bring this to life as you would.' It was extraordinary."

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