Skyfall and The Counselor star Javier Bardem, who won an Academy Award for his work in the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men, has entered into early negotiations for the next installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

If things work out Bardem will play the villain of the next movie, which is officially titled Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, a ghost named Captain Brand who thinks Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is responsible for the death of his brother and wants revenge.

Bardem could have become interested in the project due in part to his wife Penelope Cruz, who of course starred in the last movie in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. It’s not yet clear if she will be returning for the next movie or not.

One actor who is expected to return along with Depp is Geoffrey Rush, whose Barbossa could team up with Bardem’s character. Other potential returning stars include Ian McShane, Stephen Graham, and possible cameos from Orlando Bloom and Keith Richards.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is being directed by Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, and the movie is set to begin filming in February for a July 2017 release.

[Source: The Wrap]