Has PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4 Found A Director??

Merrick here...
Since Gore Verbinski left the franchise to head up an adaptation of the BIOSHOCK video game...and since he didn't come back once BIOSHOCK more or less collapsed...one of the bigger questions hanging in the entertainment ether has been: who'll direct the next PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN film? Seems that question is just about to be answered.

Disney is on the verge of putting Rob Marshall in as director of a fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a move that puts the film on track for a 2010 production start, with Johnny Depp back as Captain Jack Sparrow. [EDIT] While Marshall’s involvement wasn’t immediately confirmed, sources said things look good enough that the studio has begun casting new characters that will appear in the picture.

...says Mike Fleming over at VAIRETY. Marshal, of course, directed CHICAGO, the forthcoming NINE... ...and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. Makes one wonder if PIRATES 4 will have a musical component; not sure such a move would be completely out of place in that particular universe. I doubt this is the case...just thinking aloud...