Johnny Depp is in London to film part of the next in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has had its budget cut! Pirates 4 will be made for a completely pathetic $200 million, rather than the juicy $300 million the last film, At World’s End, had to play with. Disney’s new chairman Rich Ross “wants to be mean and lean and cost effective,” according to Pirates 4 producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Many scenes, including an action sequence set on a frozen river Thames, have been cut as a result. But Bruckheimer says of the removed scenes: “the audience will never miss them”.

For a while there Pirates 4 was all looking a bit pear-shaped; Orlando had stepped down, Keira walked the plank and it looked like it would be Johnny Depp sailing solo. However, then Penelope Cruz climbed aboard, Ian’s stowed away (we’re rapidly running out of piratey metaphors) and things are generally looking up for team Pirates.

There are rumors floating around that the sexiest pirate on earth Jack Sparrow, will be making a return to our screens in a fourth instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean…