Penelope Cruz in talks for Pirates of the Caribbean 4?

We’ve known for a while that when Rob Marshall steps behind the camera of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides this summer, the cameras would roll without Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom in front of them. The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog reports (via ComingSoon) Penelope Cruz is in talks to join Johnny Depp in the new installment in the franchise.

We don’t have a lot of information about her character yet, just that she is supposed to be “[Captain Jack] Sparrow’s foil and equal in many ways.”

Cruz’s potential casting makes sense considering she just worked with Rob Marshall on Nine. I think she’ll make a great addition to the world crafted by writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot – she can play a flamboyant character with the best of them (see: Vicky Cristina Barcelona). This announcement is a step in the right direction, but it’ll take a lot more than Penelope Cruz to wash the bad taste of Pirates 2 and 3 out of my mouth.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides begins filming in June, so we can expect more casting announcements in the near future. Daniel-Day Lewis for Blackbeard anyone?