Pirates 4 not on solid ground anymore

Late last week, Disney's studio chief Dick Cook announced that he would be stepping down from his long held position after almost 40 years. Cook stated that:

It's the right time for me to move on to new adventures and in the words of one of my baseball heroes, Yogi Berra, 'If you come to a fork in the road, take it.'"

Understandable as it may be for someone to want a change after that long in one place, the news has shaken loose what was solidified information about the future of Disney's biggest cash cow, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Apparently Johnny Depp is none too pleased about Cook's abrupt departure from the studio and is now not entirely sure that he will return for the slated On Stranger Tides. Not that Depp is mad at Cook, but the concept for the character of Captain Jack Sparrow was born in Cook's office and there is a kinship between the two that was the mortar for Pirates' bricks.

Johnny said:

There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment. It was all born in his office.

And without enthusiasm, there is no Jack Sparrow. Of all the characters in the history of film, it's debatable that he is the most indiosyncratic characters to ever hit the screen, and without the FULL enthusiasm of an actor (no one other that Johnny Depp could play this role) Jack Sparrow will be nothing. So unless there is a renewed enthusiasm soon, expect this sequel to fall through the cracks.

Sources: CHUD | MSN