'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' Trailer

Disney has released the first trailer for the fourth movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides. It announces new director Rob Marshall and new characters played by Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz, and uses the series' ringing score to great effect. Watch it after the break.

Yahoo has the US version of the teaser in HD.

Difficult to tell if the comedy will play, but this trailer nicely evokes the first film in the series, which is still a great ride. And the new stuff looks like it could fit in just fine: mermaids, zombies, and Ian McShane. The latter, in particular, looks great. There's even a shot of Keith Richards, for good measure.

There's also this UK version, with Johnny Depp's in-character introduction that we saw earlier this year. (Otherwise, I believe it's the same cut as the US teaser.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will hit theaters on May 20th 2012.

Official Plot Synopsis:

In this action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise, Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love–or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot's screenplay is based on Tim Powers' pirate novel On Stranger Tides which was optioned by Disney years ago. The novel tells the story of Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth. Here's the plot of the novel:

Puppeteer John Chandagnac, bound for Jamaica to recover stolen money from his uncle, becomes Jack Shandy after pirates attack his ship and force him to join their crew. Shandy's struggle to accept his new life grounds the story for readers, even as Blackbeard and vodun magicians whisk everyone away to dreamlike lands where the Fountain of Youth itself awaits. The chaotic sea battles sing, though at times key events happen so quickly that they get lost in the shuffle as Jack tries to comprehend where he's going and what's at stake.