Director Mike Cahill has assembled the cast for his follow-up to his 2011 Sundance hit Another Earth.  Deadline reports that Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire), Brit Marling (Sound of My Voice), Astrid Berges-Frisbey (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), and Emmy-winner Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) will star in I Origins.  Cahill wrote the screenplay, which centers on a molecular biologist and his brilliant lab partner who uncover “startling evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.”

Pitt will star as the biologist, and the premise sounds like it will tread territory similar to Another Earth, which was a grounded, character-centric story that was told within the confines of a sci-fi premise.  Marling co-wrote Another Earth with Cahill, but this one appears to be written solely by Cahill.  The actress will next be seen in the thriller The East, which she co-wrote with her Sound of My Voice co-writer/director Zal Batmanglij.

In what was surely one of the biggest premieres of all time, Disneyland was shut down on Saturday, May 7^th so that the entire cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, including the monkey, could turn out to greet fans and sign autographs. Thousands of park guests showed up starting at midnight to see all of the special guests at the first-ever outdoor film premiere in 3D, which was also a benefit for Boys & Girls Club of America.

Joining Mickey Mouse himself were cast members Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz , Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Sam Claflin, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Kevin McNally, Óscar Jaenada, Greg Ellis, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, various mermaids and zombies, director Rob Marshall, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, composer Hans Zimmer, book author Tim Powers and Disney Chairman Bob Iger. Other celebs who made appearances on the black carpet were Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jodie Foster, Desperate Housewives co-stars Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria, Eliza Dushku with boyfriend Rick Fox, Kirstie Alley with Dancing with the Stars partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Martin Short, rocker Steven Tyler, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Emma Roberts, Andy Garcia, Karl Urban and Steven R. McQueen of The Vampire Diaries, among others. Check out all of the exclusive photos after the jump:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in the swashbuckling franchise, hits theater May 20 and darn it if I haven’t missed Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in his five-year absence.  Disney has provided us four clips from the movie, not to mention 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, to mark his return.  The last clip in particular is a great showcase for that guttural yell of Depp’s, a personal favorite.  The clips also highlight Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane’s introduction to the franchise — McShane is awarded an especially badass entry scene as Blackbeard.  Geoffrey Rush, Sam Claflin, and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey also star in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, directed by Rob Marshall (Nine).  Watch everything after the jump.

New posters have been release for Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia.  The Green Lantern poster is more like Hal Jordan ‘N Friends as we get a look at some more of the aliens of the Green Lantern Corps.  As for Pirates of the Caribbean, they’re really playing up the mermaid angle because apparently mermaids and their desire to be “part of our world” has been testing well with focus groups.  Finally, the international poster for Melancholia is pretty subdued, especially when compared to the poster for Von Trier’s last film, Antichrist.

Hit the jump to check out all of the posters.  Green Lantern opens in 3D on June 17th.  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in 3D on May 20th.  Melancholia will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Disney has released a new trailer for Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  I want to be excited for this flick but I still have mixed feelings on it.  On the one hand, I can’t believe that the plot is yet again “Jack must get the Black Pearl back from another pirate.”  But on the other hand, once the Pirates‘ theme music kicked in near the end of the trailer, I suddenly became pumped to return to this crazy world and see more adventure on the high seas.  There are some good jokes in the trailer, some imaginative designs, and I hope that this movie delivers.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with two new images.  Pirates of the Caribbean stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, and Geoffrey Rush.  It opens in 3D on May 20th.

As the producer of over seventy movies and TV shows, you’ve all seen something made by mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer. But if you don’t recognize the name, maybe you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, C.S.I., The Amazing Race, or Cold Case. To put it simply, Bruckheimer’s a big deal.

As you might imagine, someone who produces so many movies and TV shows is quite busy.  But a few months ago, on the London set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Bruckheimer took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a number of questions about how the production had been going.  He also addressed why they decided to shoot in 3D and the challenges of the format, how he’s been enjoying Twitter (follow him here), how new Pirates director Rob Marshall got the job, how they already have ideas for Pirates 5, how does he have the time to watch over everything, and he gave us updates on Lone Ranger and the National Treasure franchise.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview:

Last October, I got to visit the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while the production was filming at Pinewood Studios outside London.  Even though we were told that Johnny Depp would not have the time to do any interviews as he was in all the shots that day, before one of the set ups, he had a few minutes and he answered a some quick questions about how filming had been going and what it was like to work with Penelope Cruz and new Pirates director Rob Marshall.  For what he said, hit the jump:

A few months ago I got to visit the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while the production was filming at Pinewood Studios outside London.  While there, I was able to participate in roundtable interviews with a lot of the cast, as well as screenwriter Terry Rossio.  As one of the creators of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, along with his writing partner Ted Elliott, Rossio has been writing Captain Jack Sparrow since the first film, so it was very cool to hear his thoughts on how the movies have been going and the challenges of making the 4th film great.

What I really liked about Rossio was how honest he was about the writing of a big Hollywood blockbuster.  While you’d like to think everyone involved would have the time to make everything perfect before filming begins, he explained that once the studio figures out a release date, it’s full speed ahead and things change all the time based on the stars and budget.   If you’re interested in writing movies, I think you’ll learn a lot about the process reading or listening to this interview.  Hit the jump to check it out:

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is sitting at a huge dining room table in a equally huge room.  The table is in the center, and there is tons of space on every side.  The walls are opulent.  Guards are in the back of the room. Sitting across from Sparrow is King George II (Richard Griffiths) and nearby is Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) – who is now a privateer.   Even though Jack Sparrow has been captured, you can’t help but think this is exactly where he wants to be as he’s heard the King has the map to the Fountain of Youth.  After some back and forth discussions, Sparrow is going to end up with the map, and his escape plan will be put into action.

Let me back up a second.

A few months ago, I got to visit the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while the production was filming at Pinewood Studios outside London.  While on set I got to see the many stages that were built for the movie, interview most of the cast, and speak with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and screenwriter Terry Rossio.  As a big fan of the Pirates movies, I have to say it was incredibly cool to see the huge production up close.  Also, while I was unsure if a 4th film was necessary as I was let down by the 3rd, everything I learned on set tells me that the filmmakers understood the problems of the 2nd and 3rd films and this new chapter will capture the magic of the first.  I left London excited by what I saw and I’m truly looking forward to May 20, which is the release date of On Stranger Tides.  For more on the set visit (which includes an epic two part video blog), hit the jump:

Disney has released a new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  As we’ve previously reported, the film picks up where Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End left off: with Captain Jack Sparrow hunting for the Fountain of Youth.  Unfortunately for Captain Jack, a woman from his past forces him on to the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which is a nice little ship as long as you don’t mind that its captain is the ruthless pirate Blackbeard.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, which contains mermaids, zombies, and Keith Richards.  The film stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, and Geoffrey Rush.   Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in 3D on May 20, 2011.  Click here to check out our write-up of the trailer’s premiere at Disneyland.

Yesterday we posted a few new images from director Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  In case you missed them, Disney has just sent over all the new images but now they’re in high resolution, so hit the jump to check them out.  You can see Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane.  Pirates 4 hits theaters May 20, 2011.

The 3D production of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is underway in Hawaii as we speak, and today brings the first images of star Johnny Depp in costume as Captain Jack Sparrow.  Rob Marshall (Nine) is directing, while Depp will be joined by Pirates newbies Penelope Cruz (a love interest), Ian McShane (the villainous Blackbeard), and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (a fellow mermaid).  Hit the jump for the images.

It’s a good time to be a supermodel with thespian aspirations in Hollywood.  (Although, was it ever really a bad time?)  Transformers 3 found its female lead in the pages of Victoria’s Secret, while Australian bombshell Gemma Ward has just landed a role in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  The Daily Telegraph reports that Ward has landed a small speaking part as a mermaid in the fourth film of the swashbuckling franchise. [via /Film]

The 3D production starts shooting in Hawaii this week with Rob Marshall (Nine) at the helm.  Johnny Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow, joined by Pirates newbies Penelope Cruz (a love interest), Ian McShane (the villainous Blackbeard), and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (a fellow mermaid).  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20, 2011.

Disney has announced that British actor Sam Claflin has joined Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  According to the press release, Claflin hails from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.  He has since won roles in the mini-series The Pillars of the Earth and the telefilm The Lost Future.  Unfortunately, my time machine isn’t finished yet so I can’t travel to the future and tell you if him being cast in the new Pirates movie is a good thing or a bad thing.  The press release says he’ll be playing a “youthful missionary.”  Illuminating.

Claflin joins Johnny Depp along with Astrid Bergès-Frisbey who will play a mermaid.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is slated to hit theaters on May 20, 2011.

Walt Disney sent out a press release announcing Astrid Bergès-Frisbey has been cast in the “key role” of Syrena, a beautiful and alluring young mermaid, in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the Pirates franchise. While no one knows the exact story of the fourth film, for Disney to send out a press release like this, her role must be very important.

Hit the jump for the press release.  The fourth Pirates movie begins filming this June in Hawaii, Great Britain and Los Angeles.  The film is slated to open on May 20, 2011.