Pirates of Caribbean sail to Cannes with star crew
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is the fourth film in a series which has made a fortune for Disney with a combined global box office tally so far of $2.7 billion.
Reviews of the new chapter, which hits theatres in the United States on May 20, have been mixed, though, and some analysts predict it may struggle to match the impressive tallies of previous outings even in the 3D format.
Depp said in Cannes that there would be more ahead if the films remained popular: "If the people get tired of it or something, that's when it stops, I think," he told a news conference. "If people want it, I'm there."
In On Stranger Tides, the actor returns to his role as the indomitable Captain Jack Sparrow after a gap of four years, Australian Geoffrey Rush is back as Barbossa and Rolling Stone Keith Richards puts in another cameo as Sparrow's father.
There are new faces, with Britain's Ian McShane portraying the fearsome Blackbeard and Spaniard Cruz his daughter Angelica.
Once the hero escapes the clutches of the English king, he embarks on a race to reach the Fountain of Youth.
The English and Spanish navies take on Blackbeard's magical ship, run by giant zombie pirates and spewing flames that burn mutineers to a cinder.
They take on vicious mermaids, who lure their victims before bearing fangs and dragging them to the bottom of the sea.
