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Pirates Of The Caribbean:on Stranger Tides Limited 3D Edition Blu-RayWalt Disney Home Entertainment2011/Rated PG-13/Running Time 136 minsList Price: $49.95 -- Available October 18, 2011What's with all the hate for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise all of a sudden? It never ceases to amaze me how some of my fellow journalists can praise material one moment and be over critical the next. I admit to being a bit harsh towards many films or franchises in the past, but that's because I have high standards. (Being addicted to the Turner Classic Movies network can do that to you.) The original Pirates of the Caribbean measured up against those standards when it opened in 2003. I didn't hate the film, but I expected something more. I was looking forward to Hollywood revitalizing the pirate genre with an epic production; something with a little bit of substance, but not as serious or dramatic as say,...

There have been few original characters created for the screen in the last decade that have been memorable enough to be welcomed back for at least an encore. The exception could well be Captain Jack Sparrow, with Johnny Depp taking the stereotypical pirate imagery and turning it on its head with a madcap performance that is brilliant. I still delight in the first film which had yet to be crusted with barnacles of backstory, mythology, and larger-than-life special effects. Its unexpected success required those to be affixed to the Black Pearl for the sequel and then it became a trilogy. Screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott were required to go back and fill in the gaps they unwittingly created, resulting in a somewhat convoluted mess.

The third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, At World’s End, nicely tied off several threads and gave Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner...

Second week of Dungeon Manual, a boring unrecommendable blog I’ve been working.

This week I talked about NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy poll, discussing 5 books that really tug at me that I didn’t see in the top 100. I’ve received some feedback and surprised and relieved at the Caine love I’ve seen. Hope for badass fiction! On the otherhand, kind of shocked at people thinking Tim Powers, Jonathan Carroll, and Patricia McKillip are obscure. I’ll give you Stepan Chapman, but anyone who reads Sf/F should know who the first 3 are. A Science Fiction 5 is coming soon!

I shared my thoughts on Jim Butcher’s latest Dresden Files entry, Ghost Story. Look, I know going in fans are going to love everything, but I thought this was a letdown compared to the awesome that was Changes, his last effort. There were some positives though,...

By Christopher Stipp

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Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp

Irt: Deadliest Roads - Blu-ray Review

I am a reality television fiend when it comes to Ice Road Truckers.

Yes, there is no ice this time around but that doesn’t make this series any less thrilling. Missing a few episodes when it aired and then just waiting for the chance to see all the episodes all at once when it hit Blu-ray this was really well worth the wait. For those of us who enjoy series like this Irt: Deadliest Roads does not disappoint.

Instead of cold driving truck drivers going across snowy strips of ice we’ve got a trio of drivers making their way on some of the most sinister roads in India. Brimming with genuine humor and the...

Director: Rob Marshall Writers: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, Tim Powers Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally You say you want a synopsis? I will give you a synopsis...a very synopsized one at that! Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) swashbuckles his way into a London prison to rescue his first mate Gibbs (Kevin McNally) from a public hanging. Next thing Jack knows, he is in King George's (Richard Griffiths) palace. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now a "privateer" sailing for the British monarch, is also there. King George wants the pair to be the first to beat the Spaniards to Ponce de Leon's legendary Fountain of Youth. Instead, Jack finds himself a minion on Blackbeard's (Ian McShane) Queen Anne's Revenge, which just so happens to have an old flame of Jack's -- Angelica (Penélope Cruz) -- as its first mate. The Spaniards, Brits...

Batten down the hatches and man the sails, the new .Pirates of the Caribbean. movie is upon us! Johnny Depp gets new co-stars, the characters have a new quest, but the fourth franchise is really more of the same.

By now, we are familiar with the .Pirates. formula. Open each movie with a grandiose beginning, give Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) a dramatic entrance, and then watch the film fizzle out near the end.

While .Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. adapts the tried and true formula, at least the fourth film is able to capture some of the fun and playful spirit of the first film, .The Curse of the Black Pearl..

Depp, nominated for an Oscar for his iconic .Pirates. portrayal, is the heart and soul of the movie. And the filmmakers are wise enough to take advantage of the actor by using him in almost every scene.

Jack Sparrow’s back for another bout of Caribbean cutlass waving, but can On Stranger Tides improve on the rather limp At World’s End? Here’s Paul’s review...

Jack Sparrow is a durable sort, to say the least. We’ve seen him overcome curses, avoid hangings, run rings around fellow pirates and the British Navy, escape ghosts, zombies, and the Kraken, but now in Pirates Of The Carribean: On Stranger Tides, he faces his greatest challenge yet: making me interested in a new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.

Let’s address the elephant in the room right away: this review may as well not exist. It is totally and utterly redundant. Films are often described as review-proof, but even in a time where film critics have less of an influence over box office than in previous years, it’s rarely actually the case.

Except it really is the case with the Pirates films.

Disney And Hot Topic Present

Treasure-filled .Pirates Day. Fan Events

To Celebrate

Walt Disney Pictures And Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

.Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Advance Fan Screening, Costume Contest and More

at Hot Topic Stores in Hollywood, Calif., and Paramus, N.J. 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Burbank, Calif. (May 9, 2011) . In celebration of the upcoming release on May 20th of Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. .Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,. the next installment in the hugely popular film franchise, directed by Rob Marshall, Walt Disney Studios announced today special .Pirates Day. fan events, fun-filled celebrations of all things .Pirates,. which will include advance 3D fan screenings of the film. The events will take place on Saturday, May 14, 2011, in and around the Hot Topic stores in Hollywood, Calif., and Paramus, N.J.

The .Pirates Day. events are part of a month-long takeover of Hot Topic.s 650 stores nationwide...

Burbank, Calif. (May 5, 2011) .Walt Disney Studios announced that today .The Oprah Winfrey Show.s. studio audience in Chicago, Ill., enjoyed a surprise visit from actor Johnny Depp, followed by an advance special screening of Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. .Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,. in which Depp stars for the fourth time as the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow.

The audience members were treated to the ultimate .Harpo Hook-Up. as they were the first moviegoers in the world to view .Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,. presented in Disney Digital 3D.. Johnny Depp was on hand at the movie theatre to greet and welcome the .Oprah. show.s excited fans to the unprecedented event.

The highly anticipated action-filled adventure, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, also stars Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush, and sails into theatres on May 20, 2011.

About The Movie:...

Star-studded Event At Disneyland On May 7th

Marks First-ever 3D Outdoor Premiere

Burbank, Calif. (April 5, 2011) .The Walt Disney Company is donating proceeds from the highly anticipated World Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films. .Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,. to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, it was announced today by Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. The first-ever 3D outdoor event will take place on May 7th at Disneyland® Park in Anaheim, California, with all of the film.s stars expected to attend along with many Hollywood celebrities.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, .Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise.this time in Disney Digital 3D.. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the action-packed adventure.

Individual tickets for the premiere event are priced at $1,000 and...

When screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot discovered Tim Powers's novel On Stranger Tides, with its use of Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, it sparked ideas about bringing the Pirates Of The Caribbean series back for another spin. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer set about re-assembling his trusted team - but this time with a new director at the helm. "He's fast, he's smart, he's got enormous concentration and he's got great taste. You look at his movies, they're all beautiful films," says Bruckheimer of Rob Marshall, the Nine filmmaker who's stepping into Gore Verbinski's shoes. The sharp transition from musicals to action isn't a concern for Bruckheimer, either: "It's all movement of bodies. [Rob's] a master of movement and of performance. He comes from stage directing where it's (more)...

The fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie will be based on Tim Powers's 1988 fantasy novel On Stranger Tides. According to the Los Angeles Times, Disney optioned Powers's book three years ago so that it could use elements from his story for its next Pirates instalment. "I've watched all the [Pirates] movies several times and I think the clear thing they would use is the trip to the Fountain of Youth," said Powers. "My main character doesn't overlap with Jack Sparrow at all. "I suppose they might overlap the Geoffrey Rush character Barbossa and Blackbeard. The only thing I feel certain they will (more)...

Earlier today, we reported on the confirmation that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides would in fact be based on the Tim Powers book of the same name, which follows a puppeteer turned pirate named Jack Shandy who must stop a crew of sinister pirates from using a Fountain of Youth for less-than-good purposes. Powers talked a little about what he believed Disney would do with the book and which portions he thought they would use and throw out. Meanwhile Empire also got a chance to talk to Pirates screenwriter Terry Rossio about the adaptation. "We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth,. Rossio stated. .It just turns out that to do that story you would need that book. It's brilliant and Tim Powers is an amazing writer - and it's...

There's an interesting story making its way around the web about Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. As was discovered right after the name was announced at the D23 Expo, the title is the same as a book written Tim Powers. Web journalists have been trying to get in touch with Powers to see if that was actually the case. Now via both the La Times and Empire, the truth has come out, and Powers admits that it was optioned a long time ago and that he just wasn't allowed to say anything until now. In terms of the storyline, well, screenwriter Terry Rossio lays it all out now that the cat's out of the bag. "We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to...

Last month, Disney announced the fourth installment of “Pirates Of The Caribbean” and its title “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

It didn’t take long to figure out that there was already the story about pirates with the same name written by Tim Powers.

He was more surprised than anyone that the title had been trumpeted at Disney’s new promotional convention.

“I was still – as far as I understood – not free to talk about it. Then about a week ago my agent wrote and said, ‘You’re now able to say that in fact Disney did option the book.’ That happened a while ago, it’ll be three years in April.” /Latimes/

But now Powers has confirmed that his novel has been optioned by Disney and will be used in some fashion to craft the story for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

“I’ve watched all the [Pirates] movies several times,...

Last month Johnny Depp appeared in full Jack Sparrow costume at the D23 Expo and announced the title of the next Pirates movie would be Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. A quick Google search lead to a book of the same name written by author Tim Powers in 1987. Had Disney bought the [...]...

When Disney announced the title of the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie would be Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, many instantly speculated that it might be based on a same named pirate book written by author Tim Powers in the 80s. Today speaking with the La Times Powers confirmed that, yep, it is. Disney optioned the book three years ago this April, which would mean they already knew what the movie would be about just a few months before our scooper spilled the beans to us. The book is everything we.ve suspected the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie would be about all along. It involves the pirate Blackbeard on a quest for the Fountain of Youth. Discussing how his book compares to the existing Pirates films Powers says, .My main character doesn't overlap with Jack Sparrow at all [in personality or circumstance]; they're totally different ...

Late last month, "On Stranger Tides" author Tim Powers confirmed that Disney does indeed plan to use elements of his book for the forthcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." He didn't have much more to say about it at the time, but it was the confirmation fans had been speculating about since Disney dropped the bombshell at their D23 Expo that a fourth "Pirates" movie was incoming.

Now, Powers is apparently free -- or at least more free -- to discuss Disney's ownership of the rights to his book, published in 1988. "About a week ago my agent wrote and said, 'You're now able to say that in fact Disney did option the book,'" Powers told the Los Angeles Times in an interview. "That happened a while ago, it'll be three years in April." Three years means that Disney picked up the rights just as "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End...

When Disney recently confirmed the development of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cinematical's Erik "Eagle Eye" Davis realized that there was also a pirate novel by the same name. (On Stranger Tides, that is.) Now we've learned that Disney had indeed optioned the novel (years ago) and that it forms, at least in some small part, a basis for the movie. Writer Terry Rossio and novel author Tim Powers have both spoken up about the film and how it relates to the novel. Speaking to the La Times, Powers says that Disney bought rights to the book two and a half years ago, and requested that he stay quiet about the sale. At the time, the fact that it was potentially raw material for a new Pirates movie wasn't specified. (Wonder how much he got for the option? Probably not nearly as much as he would if that...

[Update: Got some new quotes and more info on this subject]

If you’ve been keeping up with the news about the upcoming fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, you’ll probably be aware of the fact that it’s been given the subtitle of “On Stranger Tides.” As we reported a little under a month ago, the title is exactly the same as a pirate book by Tim Powers from 22 years ago, which is about the Fountain of Youth (Pirates 4’s reported plot hook) and which also contains a pirate character called Jack.

It seemed like Too much of a wild coincidence for Disney not to have had based their Pirates 4 story on Powers’ book and we now learn, from the author himself, that the film Is based on his book after all. What a Huge surprise… (Sarcasm alert!)

After Depp appeared in character as Captain Jack Sparrow at the Disney’s D23 Expo, and the On Stranger Tides subtitle...

When D23 and Johnny Depp announced that the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean installment would follow up its colon with On Stranger Tides, it didn't take the Internet long to point out that there was already a pirate story carrying that title. It seemed an unlikely coincidence since Tim Powers' book also starred a pirate named Jack, and centered on a quest for the Fountain of Youth.

Well, X marks the spot, apparently, as Powers confirmed to Hero Complex that Disney did indeed option his 1987 novel three years ago, and that he's been eagerly sitting on the news for all that time. As the author is quick to point out, his Jack "Shandy" Chandagnac and Jack Sparrow have little in common, and he's unsure as to how Disney will adapt his book to the Pirates of the Caribbean mold. "I've watched all the movies several times, of course, and...

You fancy book readers might have noticed that the title of the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, “On Stranger Tides” sounded a tad familiar, especially if you’re a reader of books by one Tim Powers. Well there’s a reason for that; Powers has now admitted that Disney optioned his 1987 book way back in 2006, but he had no idea they were planning to take the book’s basic premise and turn it into a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. And that premise? The pirate Blackbeard searches for the Fountain of Youth. Says Powers about his book and the upcoming movie: “I’ve watched all the movies several times, of course, and I think the clear thing they would use is the trip to the Fountain of Youth. My main character doesn’t overlap with Jack Sparrow at all [in personality or circumstance]; they’re totally different characters. I suppose they might overlap...

We reported last month that the next film adventure with Jack Sparrow would be entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and it was noted the similarities between a 1987 book dubbed On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. It turns out that wasn't a coincidence. The Los Angeles Times' Hero Complex blog recently spoke with Powers who revealed that his novel was indeed optioned almost three years ago and will serve as a basis for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Here's an excerpt from the article about how his book will translate to film.

I've watched all the movies several times, of course, and I think the clear thing they would use is the trip to the Fountain of Youth," Powers said. "My main character doesn't overlap with Jack Sparrow at all [in personality or circumstance]; they're totally different characters. I suppose they might overlap the Geoffrey Rush character Barbossa and Blackbeard.

The day that the title of the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was announced to be Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , we posted an article in which we talked about the speculation that the movie would be based on author Tim Powers' 1987 novel with the same name about pirates and the Fountain of Youth. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times , Powers confirms that Disney optioned the book almost three years ago. But what will they use from the book? Here's a clip: "I've watched all the movies several times, of course, and I think the clear thing they would use is the trip to the Fountain of Youth," Powers said. "My main character doesn't overlap with Jack Sparrow at all [in personality or circumstance]; they're totally different characters....

Early speculation that pirate-themed novel "On Stranger Tides" will be the basis of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" apparently hit the jackpot. Author Tim Powers confirmed that Disney has opted the rights to his book when talking to Geoff Boucher of Los Angeles Times on Monday, October 5.

"I was still - as far as I understood - not free to talk about it," the two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award said at first. He then continued, "Then about a week ago my agent wrote and said, 'You're now able to say that in fact Disney did option the book.' That happened a while ago, it'll be three years in April."

Talking about what may be used from his book for the fourth film, the 57-year-old said, "I've watched all the movies several times, of course, and I think the clear thing they would use is the...

Pirates screenwriter Terry Rossio has revealed more details about the return of Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Carribbean: On Stranger Tides after we recently spoke to him about the book of the same name by Tim Powers, revealed last month to have been optioned by Disney three years ago.Speaking to The La Times, Tim Powers said, "I've watched all the movies several times, of course, and I think the clear thing they would use is the trip to the Fountain of Youth.""My main character doesn't overlap with Jack Sparrow at all [in personality or circumstance]; they're totally different characters. I suppose they might overlap the Geoffrey Rush character Barbossa and Blackbeard. The only thing I feel certain they will hold on to is the Fountain of Youth since they telegraphed that at the end of the last movie."Terry Rossio explains Disney's move to option the book and the story behind the new film,...

Wanna know what Pirates 4 will be about? Here's a tip: read the book. Remember at the end of Pirates 3, where Jack Sparrow mentions he's going after the Fountain of Youth? Then at D23 when part 4's title was revealed as On Stranger Tides? Turns out there's a book published in 1987 under that very title which centers on a guy who hooks up with Blackbeard and his pirates for a quest to find the Fountain of Youth. Lawsuit? Not really. Author Tim Powers got swamped with fan mail and legal...

At the end of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” Captain Jack Sparrow made it pretty clear where he was headed next: in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth. Well, at Disney’s recent D23 convention, they announced the fourth installment would be titled “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”–incidentally enough, the subtitle is the name of a Tim Powers novel also about the Fountain of Youth. So, as one might expect, Disney and Depp fans alike bombarded Powers with fan mail inquiring about his work. The only problem is nobody at Disney took the time to tell Powers about the new name. So is this a case of one IP being morphed into another, or does Powers have grounds to sue for infringement? Find out after the jump.

Powers told the Los Angeles Times Monday that he had, in fact, sold the rights to his book to Disney…...

Following the recent departure of Disney studio chief Dick Cook, Johnny Depp admitted to being less enthusiastic about returning to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" ("Pirates" part 4, for those who lost count). And the fans in turn admitted that they'd give up on the franchise without him in it.

That apparently isn't stopping Disney though. According to a tip received by Cinema Blend, the studio is preparing to replace Depp if/when he decides to abandon ship. This may not happen with "On Stranger Tides," as Disney is likely prepared to offer him as much money as it takes to keep him aboard. The actor, who is said to be aware the last two movies "sucked," will definitely not be sticking around for the fifth and sixth installments if the tipster is to be believed.

Is this sad news for us Jack Sparrow lovers?...

Pirates of the Caribbean at the moment could not be on stranger tides. Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have departed for other opportunities. Johnny Depp expressed remorse at the departure of Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook, explaining that there was a “fissure” in his enthusiasm for the film. And Geoffrey Rush seems unaware of what’s happening. In an interview with MTV, Rush seemed to be on board and ready to shoot next spring, so that he could reprise his role as Captain Barbossa, but didn’t know much beyond that. Rush told MTV: “They’re waiting for the screenplay writers to put together something that’s beyond the trilogy, take it off into a new direction so that it’s fresh and hopefully really interesting for an audience, that they’re not going to just sausage-machine out something else, which wouldn’t be so good.” The film is...

At the D23 Expo in Anaheim last weekend, Disney announced the official title and a tentative release schedule for a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean. Johnny Depp will return as Captain Jack Sparrow in… Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Summer 2011.

According to LatinoReview, the subtitle refers to a 1988 book by Tim Powers about a puppeteer named John “Jack Shandy” Chandagnac who travels to Jamaica to settle a money dispute with his uncle. Along the way his ship is attacked by pirates and he’s forced to join their crew. Chandagnac must put a stop to an evil plot by the nefarious Blackbeard involving the fountain of youth. The novel won an award for Best Fantasy Novel that year.

With the Will/Elizabeth trilogy completed, the studio plans to focus the attention squarely on the reason people watched the Pirates movies: Captain Jack. Depp even appeared on stage...

Disney has finally announced the fourth installment of “Pirates Of The Caribbean.” Film number-four will be titled “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and it will be released in the summer of 2011.

The company made the announcement with Johnny Depp at the D23 Expo. Johnny Depp, who plays Captain Jack Sparrow, sailed onstage in a pirate ship. He staggered around the stage before hugging Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, who told the audience of 5,000 fans about the next instalment.

Guys over at Cinematical have some interesting information. Actually, there is a novel called “On Stranger Tides” about pirates written by Tim Powers.

“On Stranger Tides” is a fantasy book that won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1988 and was also nominated for The World Fantasy award.

In the book, originally published in 1988, the main character is also named Jack (Shandy) who tries to find the Fountain...

Johnny Depp sailed into the all-things-Disney D23 convention at the tail end of last week, in full Jack Sparrow regalia, to help announce that the fourth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is officially slated for release in summer 2011. It also now has a subtitle: On Stranger Tides.And with those words, all of a sudden, as if by magic, Pirates 4 is a far more enticing prospect that we might previously have thought, because On Stranger Tides is a very excellent, Locus Award-winning novel by Tim Powers, so we're guessing that its plot is being twisted to fit the Pirates franchise.First published in 1988, the novel's protagonist is the puppeteer turned accountant John Chandagnac, later aka Jack Shandy, who while on a trip to confront his nefarious uncle about some dodgy family business, is waylaid by pirates and ultimately ends up captaining the crew.What ensues is a...

Disney has been giving previews of its upcoming releases at the company's D23 Expo in California.

Among the activities at the Anaheim Convention Centre was the arrival of Johnny Depp in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume.

Depp took to the stage to announce the title and release date of the fourth instalment in the Pirates franchise.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is its name, and we can expect to see it in summer 2011.

The film was earlier said to be about Sparrow meeting up with Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in the newly founded New Orleans and embarking on a quest for the Fountain of Youth.

This appears to be true, as On Stranger Tides is the name of a 1988 Tim Powers' seafaring novel in which a main character (also called Jack) travels with pirates to an island to find that mythical wellspring. It seems Disney bought...

Disney is getting huge mileage out of its D23 Expo, which is making more headlines than the Toronto Film Festival this week for some of its new marketing swag, the announcement that it will partner with Guillermo del Toro on a new production house, and now, the first full details about Pirates of the Caribbean 4. As you can see, it already has a title - On Stranger Tides - which I actually really dig, and we know that Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush will be back aboard the Black Pearl.

The title hints at what Disney has maintained for quite a while, that a fourth film would be a little smaller and a little less down the middle than a Disney summer movie would indicate. Of course, the third one was pretty bizarre, as well, but there was no chance that would fail, so it was loaded with all kinds...

We recently found out the supposed plot for the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which, according to Hollywood Elsewhere, would feature Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Co. searching for the infamous Fountain of Youth. It’s not been officially announced but it seems plausible, and at this point we have no reason to think that it’s false.

So with that “semi-confirmed” plot (whatever that means) in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming Pirates 4 would be titled something akin to, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Search For the Fountain of Youth” or simply “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Fountain of Youth.” But no, at the D23 Disney Fan Expo, a logo/banner for the fourth Pirates movie was unveiled and it revealed the name and the release date: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has a (general) release date of Summer 2011.

On Stranger Tides,...

More and more news just keeps flooding from the D23 Expo and thankfully they sent us press releases, so we don't have to physically be there to hear about a few big announcements.  I'll be honest and say that I'm not absolutely enthralled with all three of the following announcements, but two out of three isn't bad. So first let's jump right into the one that I'm not entirely psyched about, but I'm sure that plenty of other people are. Johnny Depp was on hand as Captain Jack to tell everyone about the title of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment of the series to be released summer 2011. Though plot details are scarce at this time, the crew at Cinematical might have an interesting lead on the story. It seems there exists a a novel by Tim Powers, that just happens to be about pirates, and...

Disney's D23 Expo is currently underway in Anaheim, California and the studio’s Chairman Dick Cook officially revealed the next Pirates movie will be titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Johnny Depp, who appeared in full pirate costume during the announcement, is signed on to reprise his role of Jack Sparrow. No other plot details have been release, but the subtitle has already led to speculation. Rumors suggest the new film may be based on Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides novel. The novel won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1988, and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award the same year. In the book, Puppeteer John Chandagnac, who was sailing to Jamaica to get revenge on the uncle who had stolen his father's inheritance, has no choice but to join the buccaneers who have taken him prisoner--and soon, known now as the pirate Jack Shandy,...

So about that Disney announcement -- well, the one about Pirates of the Caribbean and its new title (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and release date (summer 2011). It just so happens that there is also a novel called On Stranger Tides about pirates by one Tim Powers (which we briefly mentioned in our other post). The plot is striking in that the main character is also named (or renamed) Jack, and the plot revolves around him finding the Fountain of Youth, which is not only a recurring theme in the Pirates movies but was the rumored title of the fourth installment.

Here's the plot summary from Amazon via Publishers Weekly:

World Fantasy Award-winner Powers (Three Days to Never) demonstrates a precise control of complex narratives in this reprint of his rollicking and enchanting 1987 novel. Puppeteer John Chandagnac, bound for Jamaica to recover stolen money from his uncle, becomes...

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures The official title for the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been announced and it is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, to which Devin Faraci at Chud has pointed out bares resemblance to Tim Powers' "On Stranger Tides". The description of the book from a Publishers Weekly review at Amazon.com reads as follows: World Fantasy Award-winner Powers (Three Days to Never) demonstrates a precise control of complex narratives in this reprint of his rollicking and enchanting 1987 novel. Puppeteer John Chandagnac, bound for Jamaica to recover stolen money from his uncle, becomes Jack Shandy after pirates attack his ship and force him to join their crew. Shandy's struggle to accept his new life grounds the story for readers, even as Blackbeard and vodun magicians whisk everyone away to dreamlike lands where the Fountain of Youth itself awaits. The chaotic sea battles sing,...

The big Disney D23 event is going down in Anaheim, California this weekend, and the news is flowing fast. The biggest announcement so far has to be confirmation of a subtitle and a date for the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean outing. And it is? On Stranger Tides. Yes, we know… thrilling? The most interesting aspect of that new name is its link to Tim Powers' 1987 pirate fantasy, which shares the title. And just happens to feature a character named Jack and the fountain of youth, touted as a likely plot for the new...

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At Disney's D23 they kept the movie surprises coming for nearly two hours, announcing a slew of new information about their upcoming slate of films for the next couple of years, and they trotted out John Travolta, Robert Zemeckis, Jerry Bruckheimer, Nic Cage, Miley Cyrus, and ... Johnny Depp in full costume as Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes, we're not kidding, and boy do I hate the "no cameras in the arena" rule that Disney busted on us. Of all the things to miss a photo of.

So yes, Pirates 4 is coming out in Summer 2011. That's probably the biggest news. What else did they announce? Check it out below ...

Disney's The Princess and The Frog will be screened at the Disney Studio in Burbank, which is being opened to the public for the first time ever, from November 25th through December 13th. The new Muppets movie will be called The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made.

This afternoon, Walt Disney Pictures made the big announcement at the D23 Expo that the fourth "Pirates" film will hit theaters in Summer 2011 and be titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides . Speculation has already begun that the subtitle "On Stranger Tides" refers to author Tim Powers' novel with the same name. The following is the official description of the book: Puppeteer John Chandagnac, who was sailing to Jamaica to get revenge on the uncle who had stolen his father's inheritance, has no choice but to join the buccaneers who have taken him prisoner--and soon, known now as the pirate Jack Shandy, he finds himself learning to survive in a treacherous new world of cutlass-fights, sea-battles, and voodoo magic on sun-blinded tropical islands....

What if the best hospital designers are the patients themselves? At the brand new Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, the architects gave the patients and their families seats at the drafting table.

"Let's face it, many hospitals are pretty terrible places," says architect Tim Powers, the senior vice president for the health care studio of Astorino, a design and architecture firm based in Pittsburgh. With more than a billion dollars of health care build in their portfolio, Powers is in a position to issue his grim diagnosis. "Hospitals are traditionally bad buildings. They look bad, they function poorly. They smell bad. And people don't want to be there." And as medicine has become more cutting edge, the construction challenge has been to keep up with the new technologies that the public demands. "We're designing for technology that doesn't' exist yet," says Powers. "Generally architects are recognizing this. But we wanted to...