Bruckheimer revealed to About.com that Gore Verbinski ("The Ring") will be back to direct both sequels. ?He also expects the lead cast to return, including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley--all three of whom expressed excitement about the projects. ?When asked about Geoffrey Rush, Bruckheimer was evasive.

"We have plans," was all he would admit. ?In the original "Pirates," Rush played Barbossa, a cursed soul who was dispatched by the bumbling heroics of the other characters.

There is no word on storyline yet, as the scripts are still being written, but there is talk about expanding the adventure beyond the Caribbean, to "the far east," according to Bruckheimer. ?Though that bit of plot information is hardly titilating, the producers have enlisted the screenwriters who rewrote the original script, so there is promise of adventure in whichever waters the pirates end up.