Johnny Depp is reportedly very excited to be a part of Pirates of the Caribbean 4…that is, if’n Disney is willin’ to pay. GearLive reports that Depp is demanding a staggering $35 million to appear in the upcoming Disney sequel, which would make him one of the highest paid actors in the world, joining the ranks of Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Jim Carrey (who amazingly earned his highest payout for ‘The Cable Guy’ of all things).

It’s also being reported that Disney is planning 5th and 6th installments of the Pirates series, though it is less likely that Depp will participate in those. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, who famously played the roles of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan in the first three films, have stepped away from the franchise altogether and have no plans to continue on in the series. Telegraph reports that Penelope Cruz is rumored to be taking the female lead in Pirates 4, with Geoffrey Rush reprising his role as the snarling Captain Barbossa.

Perhaps by demanding a boatload of booty, Johnny Depp is just getting into character. After all, pirates don’t come cheap.

Lately there has been a lot of speculation about the fate of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie franchise, and whether the fourth film will become a reality. For those of you worried that Johnny Depp may never again take to the screen in pirate regalia, you can put those fears to bed.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is absolutely in the works, and will likely begin filming next year. He told Collider.com that a script for the film has already been written, and despite a recent management shakeup at Disney, Johnny Depp is still on board and everything is on schedule.

The fourth Pirates installment was originally announced over the summer at Disney’s D-23 convention, but rumors have since surfaced that Johnny Depp may decline to return as Captain Jack Sparrow. Now that we know that those rumors are false, you can now once again enjoy the Pirates ride at Disney World without shedding a tear for your lost captain. Instead, save your tears for the three-and-a-half-hour line to get on the ride.