Let’s just get this out of the way. I was wrong. The Hangover Part II came out with a fury last Thursday and not only took the weekend with minimal effort but shook up some rankings on some very important records books. Upon its release it had already taken the #1 spot on the widest R-rated opening ever with 3615 screens under its belt (FYI, the previous record-holder for that was Watchmen with 3611 screens). While The Hangover Part II wouldn’t take the top for any other records beyond the size of its release, it would certainly reorganize some notable lists.

Disney has released the first trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides this week, and it’s more of the same from Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and crew. From the familiar score to the wobbly mess that is the series’ lead character to the subtle hints that two young stars may be central to the actual story (keep an eye on the young lad and the mermaid), we’ve seen this act before. It doesn’t make it appear to be any less fun, however.

One is a movie based on a board game. One is the fourth installment to a franchise based off an amusement park ride. Both are what the people have been holding their breath in nervous anticipation for. Luckily, both are delivering in the ridiculousness department. Because that’s a real department. It’s true. I’ve driven by a movie set before, so I know. A few intrepid spies have nabbed some shots of Rihanna and her non-regulation haircut for Battleship, and the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides main line up.

Stephen Graham joins the cast. Plus, a few stolen pictures of the boat that they’ll both be riding Stranger Tides with.

Ian McShane is many things to many people. To the children of the world, he will soon be the next big bad pirate to try and thwart the jolly conquests of Jack Sparrow, a character whose stories have earned Walt Disney Pictures over a two and a half billion dollars at the box office. According to THR, McShane has joined the production of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as the villainous Blackbeard.

Yesterday we reported that Oscar-nominated actress Penelope Cruz (Nine) was joining Lars von Trier’s next film, Planet Melancholia. As it turns out, that report might have been wrong. The good news is that Ms. Cruz is moving on, and fast.

Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. The latest in the series will be filmed in Hawaii.

What began as a rumor back in July of this year has finally been confirmed by director Rob Marshall, who spilled the beans on his involvement with Pirates of the Caribbean 4 while holding a DGA screening of his latest film, Nine.

Geoffrey Rush isn’t dead? Apparently not. And he’d also like a call-back from Jerry Bruckheimer.

Disney may have found a new director for their next Pirates of the Caribbean movie in Rob Marshall, whose previous work includes Chicago.

Confirmation on production comes from one of the producers himself, claiming that they’ll set sail with Captain Jack Sparrow in April of 2010.

Johnny Depp can’t say he fears unemployment. The actor who just opened as John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies has a roster of projects ready to be released or in line to be produced.

As you may have read, Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has a lot of films on his plate. And today it appears as if he’s begun clearing a few projects away so that he can focus on others.

Russell Brand probably isn’t sure about a lot of things in his life — who the random naked woman is in his hotel room, how to use a hair brush and what day it is. These are the problems that plague both Brand and, as you may well know, members of the online press.

Our compadre Ed Douglas over at Coming Soon got a chance this week to sit down and throw questions in the direction of super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer about some of his upcoming projects over at Disney.

With a whirlwind of conflicting information from Pirates 4 to Iron Man 2, was there any ever doubt Robert Fure would hit his boiling point over all this?

Depp isn’t getting $50 million. Russell Brand isn’t co-starring. The Earth is still round.

The web is full of casting rumors, but you already knew that. Yet, just because there are tons of rumors, that doesn’t mean that some of them aren’t fun — as well, there are those that actually make sense.

We all know that Johnny Depp has signed on to reprise Captain Jack Sparrow in yet another Pirates of the Caribbean film. Now there’s word that Keira Knightley is balking at the prospect of stepping back into Elizabeth Swann’s corsets or the film.

After the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies made the weight of the Magic Kingdom in gold for Disney over the past 5 years, it appears that Johnny Depp might be their sole solution for the current economic crisis.