July 6, 2011 14:07

Johnny Depp close to signing for fifth 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' movie

A follow-up to this year's 'On Stranger Tides' is looking more likely

Johnny Depp is on the verge of signing up for a fifth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, it has been reported.

Disney are eager to continue the lucrative franchise for a fifth and sixth film, but so far their star, who plays Captain Jack Sparrow, has yet to sign on.

A source close to the negotiations has claimed that the actor and the studio are close to closing a deal, according to The Wrap.

Earlier this year, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that he was working on a script for a fifth film, but that he would not make it without Depp. He said: "Hopefully, if this one does well, [Depp] will want to come back and play the character again. But it's going to depend on the screenplay. It always does. He's maniacal about not wanting to disappoint his audience."

By "this one", Bruckheimer meant the fourth film On Stranger Tides, which yesterday (July 5) it emerged had become only the eighth film in history to break the $1 billion barrier at the box office.

Watch a behind-the-scenes clip from Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides below.