It has already been confirmed that Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is headed our way with Jack Sparrow in tow. Since Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom will be missing in action, the film’s story has been put into question.

The thumbnail plot for Jerry Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4, a connected friend confides, is a search by Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and other parties for the fountain of youth. This is the same MacGuffin plot that George Lucas was supposedly considering for an Indy sequel. There will also be some kind of Captain Nemo-type villain utilizing new-style technology. Sounds like they’re invoking the “steampunk” style we’ve seen gain more and more of a foothold in genre conventions, including Comic Con.

Elements of steampunk, Indy 4, and Captain Nemo all in the same film? If anything had to get removed from the last Indiana Jones film, that should be a sign not to use it. I could buy the whole Captain Nemo thing, because the whole premise of the series is based on pirates and the open sea.

After the third film a lot of fans weren’t pleased, and just like Spiderman this fourth movie will be viewed as a redemption project this franchise needs to tread carefully.