Poor Johnny Depp. He really can't catch a break, can he?

After the universally-panned Mortdecai did nothing to raise the sinking ship that his career, he now returns to the franchise that thrust him out into the mainstream - Pirates of the Caribbean.

Yes, the fifth instalment, named Dead Men Tell No Tales, sees 'Ol Jack squaring off against an old adversary in the form of Captain Salazar, played by a ridiculously well-cast Javier Bardem.

Who WOULDN'T want to see Bardem being a Portuguese pirate scallywag? Nobody, that's who.

In order to defeat Salazar and his band of ghost pirates (COME ON!), he'll have to search for the Trident of Poseidon.

Depp will also be joining by The Misfits' Kaya Scodelario, Home & Away's Brenton Thwaites and returning cast Geoffrey Rush and Kevin McNally.

Yes, it sort of sounds like a rehash of the first one - undead pirates, old enemy, find the thing to beat old enemy - but this comes with a certain twist to it all.

For one, it's directed by Joachim Ranning and Espen Sandberg, who directed this year's under-watched adventure story Kon Tiki.

This marks their first English-language film, having previously directed the so-so Marco Polo series for Netflix.

So, initial thoughts? All very positive. For one, Depp is desperate to correct the downward slope his career is heading so he'll hopefully go all out in this.

Plus, Javier Bardem as a pirate. Come. ON.

Kon Tiki, we think, was one of the most visually intriguing adventure films of the last five years and Messrs. Ranning and Sandberg will definitely want to impress producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

We won't know if it all works out until the summer of 2017.