Walt Disney Pictures is about to get their new Blackbeard the Pirate; Ian McShane is in negotiations to star as the infamous pirate force in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in their juggernaut franchise.

McShane would become the new villain in the movie, joining Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. Penélope Cruz was also recently added to the cast, but details are not known as to who exactly she will play aside from the basic description of being Sparrow’s “foil and equal in many ways.”

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will pick up from where Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End teased us at the end: with the pursuit of the mysterious and elusive Fountain of Youth. It will also be based loosely on the Tim Powers novel, On Stranger Tides, which happened to be a very similar story to the one the wanted to tell, so the rights to the novel were acquired.

McShane is perhaps best known for his work on the gritty HBO old west drama, Deadwood. He has starred in movies like Deathrace and the short-lived TV show Kings, and has also lent his voice to animated films like Shrek the Third, Coraline, and Kung Fu Panda.

The movie is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by Terry Rosio and Ted Elliot. It is currently slated for a May 20, 2011 release date.

[Source: THR]