Pirate Booty Call

HitFix reports that "Disney has begun quietly telling cast and crew to set aside a major block of time in the very near future so they can shoot "Pirates 5" and "Pirates 6." And, yes, once again, they will be shooting them back-to-back as one giant film, and then they'll release them as two films."

Some perspective: the previous two sequels--2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and 2007's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End--cost at least $525 million to produce and likely as much to promote. It paid off big to a point but the sequels (especially the third film) was decidedly nowhere near as well received as the first film was. So if the reaction to the $200 million 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' is not what the company expects--it could be a costly backfire at least PR wise

Disney is apparently far happier with what they've seen of 'Tides' thus far than even they probably expected to be.

Officially a Disney spokesperson told The Wrap that the studio "isn't commenting" on the story....

The other question is time--star Johnny Depp is in high demand and is committed to shooting Dark Shadows and the company's own The Lone Ranger in 2011... A back-to-back "Pirates" shoot would likely require almost a full year commitment.

Rob Marshall's Tides hits the shore on May 20, 2011