Javier Bardem in talks to portray villain in 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Javier Bardem is in talks for Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

The 45-year-old actor would portray a villain opposite Johnny Depp as protagonist Jack Sparrow. The character is said to be named Captain Brand, a ghost who holds Sparrow responsible for his brother's murder.

The film is subtitled Dead Men Tell No Tales, and helmed by Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg. The movie was originally scheduled to debut in summer 2015, but the release was pushed back to July 7, 2017. Pre-production is already underway in Australia.

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Curse of the Black Pearl, debuted in 2003, and inspired sequels Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007) and On Stranger Tides (2011). The first three installments grossed a combined $2.7 billion, and the fourth earned more than $1 billion alone. Bardem's wife, Penelope Cruz, starred as Angelica in On Stranger Tides.

Bardem is well-known for his villainous roles as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007) and Raoul Silva in Skyfall (2012), and will next star alongside Sean Penn, Idris Elba and Ray Winstone in The Gunman.