Last month it was announced that Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz would be joining the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. McShane’s role was revealed as Blackbeard, who will be the films main villain; however we had yet to hear who Cruz will be playing.

Well MTV caught up with producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently and he informed them that Cruz will be playing Blackbeard’s daughter, and there may be some romance between her and Jack Sparrow. He also confirmed that Geoffrey Rush will be back as Barbossa.

MTV News has exclusively learned exactly how Cruz fits into the story: She’s the daughter of Depp’s nemesis. “She plays the daughter of Blackbeard,” executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer told MTV News at ShoWest in Las Vegas. “She’s the daughter of the bad guy.

“She brings a lot of humor to it. And the fact that she’s so feisty,” he continued, adding that there will be “a little romance between [Depp's] Captain Jack and the character that Penelope plays.”

Ian McShane is to set to play Blackbeard, the main adversary to Captain Jack Sparrow. As Bruckheimer put it, Blackbeard is “the nastiest pirate ever.”

Geoffrey Rush, who has played Barbossa in the three previous “Pirates” films, told MTV News in September that he expected to reprise his role in “On Stranger Tides,” and Bruckheimer confirmed that will indeed be the case.

Bruckheimer also confirmed that the story will focus on The Fountain of Youth, and that they are currently casting new actors to bring in fresh characters. The guy who’s eye kept popping out and his partner in crime won’t be returning.

Barbossa was the best characters in the trilogy in my opinion, and I feared that with the addition of Blackbeard Barbossa may not be needed. Thankfully there are enough ships, parrots and pirate catchphrases to go around.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will begin filming in June in Hawaii.

One thing that was missing from the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, in my opinion, was sexy half-human half-fish ladies. We had pirates, voodoo, parrots, sea monsters and a man with an octopus for a face, but we never saw any mermaids, which I group in that old pirates/sea mythology. Well today MovieHole got their hands on a casting call which could suggest director Rob Marshall wants to add a few in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Beautiful Female Fit Models. Must be 5′7-5′8, Size 4 or 6 – NO BIGGER OR SMALLER. Age 18-25. Must have a lean dancer body. MUST have real breasts. Do not submit if you have implants. This is a show and tell of costumes with the director and the producers. Plan on an entire day of trying on clothes and being photographed.

Professional Dancers who are Swimmers. Females ONLY. Age 18-30. All ethnicities. YOU MUST have an extensive dance/swimming resume. We will be shooting in Hawaii.

Does that say mermaids to you? Or does it mean some beautiful female dancers will be on a ship that sinks and they need swimmer/dancers to get into the water? Either way Johnny Depp is going to be glad he’s back.

So far the cast consists of Ian McShane as Blackbeard and Penelope Cruz as “Sparrow’s foil and equal in many ways”, whatever that means. Filming is slated to begin on June 7th in Hawaii and finish on November 11th, 2010.

Good news for those living in the UK. Two days ago we heard that the largest cinema chain in the UK, Odeon, would be boycotting Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland because of Disney’s plan to release the DVD 12 weeks after the theatrical release, instead of the usual 17 weeks. Well now they’ve decided not too after coming to an agreement with Disney.

From the BBC:

“The Odeon and UCI Cinema Group is pleased to announce that, following detailed negotiations with the Walt Disney Company Ltd, an enduring agreement has been reached encompassing all the different aspects of both companies’ commercial relationship.

“As a result of this agreement, Odeon is pleased to confirm that it will be able to continue with its plans for significant investment in new cinemas, in digital technology, in 3D capability and the other exciting developments designed for the increased enjoyment of all its customers.”

Neither side would disclose terms of the agreement, but the Cineworld and Vue cinema chains, which will also be screening the film, had previously agreed to a 13-week gap between opening night and the DVD release.

If you heard over to the BBC article you will be able to see an interview with director Tim Burton. In it he says he asked Disney why they had decided to undertake this ‘12 week release experiment’ with his movie. The interview was conducted before the agreement today, so he’ll probably be feeling happy about it now. I suppose the controversy gave the film free publicity, so it should do well in the UK.

Alice in Wonderland will be release just about everywhere on March 5th.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is gearing up for production this summer, with the recent casting of Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane as Blackbeard, and now AICN has directed us to a news report from Hawaii New Now which shows The Black Pearl docking at the Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor in Oahu. The ship ventured on a 10mph journey from the Bahamas to Hawaii via Los Angeles, and will now be worked on in preparation for filming under the direction of Rob Marshall.

The report also talks about how the production is expected to generate around $85 million in direct and indirect spending on the Islands, and provide hundreds of jobs for local residents.

If you’ve been following the Alice in Wonderland/UK cinemas situation over the past few weeks you will know that cinema chains in the UK were threatening to boycott Alice in Wonderland because of Disney’s plan to release the DVD 12 weeks after the theatrical release, instead of the usual 17 weeks window.

Yesterday it was announced that the 2nd largest cinema chain, Vue, would be releasing the film after striking a deal with Disney. However Odeon, the UK’s largest cinema chain, will not be releasing the film in the UK, Irish Republic or Italy. Considering Alice in Wonderland has strong British roots and is well known by all ages the film was expected to make around £40 million ($62 million) in the UK, so it’ll be interesting to see how this boycott will impact its box office return.

Luckily for me there are a number of different cinemas where I live so I won’t have any trouble seeing it, however I’m sure there will be a few poor souls who will have to travel that bit further to see Tim Burton’s wacky take on Wonderland.

Click here to check out Filmonic’s Alice in Wonderland gallery!

When we first heard that Blackbeard would be involved in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides I immediately thought that Gary Oldman would suit the role (just like he suits almost every role). Then with Rob Marshall coming aboard to direct there was a small possibility that he may decide to bring Daniel-Day Lewis with him from Nine to play the role (as he recently did with Penelope Cruz).

Both of those name actors would have been great Blackbeard’s; however it is often the less obvious choices that result in the best casting decisions.

According to Heat Vision British actor Ian McShane is in talks to play the villian Blackbeard in the next Pirates outing. Over recent years McShane has provided his voice to Coraline and Kung Fu Panda, and has starred in TV shows Deadwood and Kings.

From what we have heard so far it appears Blackbeard and Sparrow will both be going after the Fountain of Youth. I hope the inclusion of Blackbeard doesn’t mean Barbossa will be out of the picture, as Geoffrey Rush’s character was one of the best things about the trilogy. Johnny Depp recently confirmed that Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly wouldn’t be returning, but we knew that already.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will begin filming this summer in Hawaii, and will be released next May.

There is just over two weeks to go before we recieve an invitiation for a very important date with a rabbit hole and Tim Burton’s wacky imagination. Disney has already provided us with trailers, posters and images, so now it’s time for the behind the scenes featurettes. The one below features brief interviews with Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter, along with quite a lot of new footage playing in the background.

Earlier this week we heard that UK cinema chains Odeon, Vue and Cineworld (who combined represent 95% of UK 3D screens) may boycott the film due to a dispute with Disney over the DVD release window. Since then Cineworld has struck a deal with Disney after distribution chiefs Bob Chapek and Chuck Viane flew to the UK to try and sort the issue out. However, it looks like they may have to rack up more air miles as cinema owners in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy have also declared their intention to boycott the film.

Alice in Wonderlandmay or may not be released on March 5th…depending on where you are on Earth.

According to Heat Vision Disney has hired Revolutionary Road screenwriter Justin Haythe to work on the script for The Lone Ranger. Johnny Depp was cast as Tonto, the Native American colleague of the Lone Ranger, back in 2008 and Pirates of The Caribbean writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have already written a draft of the script. Here’s the synopsis of their version:

The Texas Rangers chase down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish, but the gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

No word yet on whether Haythe will be re-writing their draft, or simply starting from scratch, however it will probably follow the same story anyway.

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?

A brief 1 minute clip of Johnny Depp talking about playing the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland has appeared online. We also get a montage of footage playing in the background, some of which I think is new. Watch below!

The Mad Hatter doesn’t just wear his heart on his sleeve—his ever-changing moods are quite literally reflected in his face and his attire. He’s been anxiously awaiting Alice’s return and is, arguably, her one true friend, believing in her when nobody else does. He is fearless, going to great lengths to protect her at his own risk. Once the proud hat maker for the White Queen, the Hatter has been affected by mercury poisoning, an unfortunate side effect of the hat-making process, and isn’t altogether well.

Alice and Wonderland will be released in just over a month, on March 5th.