JOHNNY DEPP - JOHNNY DEPP TO PLAY CAPTAIN JACK FOR FOURTH OUTING

JOHNNY DEPP TO PLAY CAPTAIN JACK FOR FOURTH OUTING

Johnny Depp will star as Captain Jack Sparrow in a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, it has been confirmed.

The Disney trilogy, based on a ride at the company's theme parks, has grossed an amazing $2.6 billion (£1.4 billion) at the box office, in no small part thanks to Depp's turn as the unorthodox Captain Jack.

And his return to the high seas has been confirmed as Disney unveiled its upcoming slate of films at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Depp will also star as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland as well as taking the role of Tonto in a cinematic version of The Lone Ranger, Variety reports.

Alice in Wonderland - featuring Little Britain star Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee - is to be shot using the same 3-D and performance capture technology seen in 2007's Beowulf.

Disney chairman Dick Cook also announced that Cars 2, the sequel to the 2006 Pixar hit, is to be released in summer 2011, a year ahead of schedule.

Other films previewed at the Walt Disney Studios Showcase included the third High School Musical film, the Hannah Montana Movie, action film Race to Witch Mountain and Robert Zemeckis' animated retelling of A Christmas Carol, featuring Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman.