UPDATE: Disney got in touch to clarify that they actually stopped shooting in mid-November, which is what I had thought before Bruckheimer sent out that tweet. So, as you were.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is, somehow, still shooting in London, even though the release date is now less than six months away (May 20). As proof producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted a photo from the set on December 29, showing Blackbeard's flag flying "high on the Queen Anne's Revenge mast." In other news from the set, the Disney Channel aired their special interview segment from the set (presumably filmed earlier this fall), which features some behind-the-scenes footage as well as a supremely awkward interview with Depp, who looks about as uncomfortable as a cat wearing clothes. You can see both below, and we'll talk a little after.



We'll be hearing a lot more about Pirates in the coming months, as Disney gears up to make money off one of its guaranteed tentpoles following the relative disappointment of Tron: Legacy, and as they try to be the first big blockbuster out of the gate for the summer movie season (the only thing coming before it is Thor, which doesn't have nearly the same name recognition as Captain Jack Sparrow-- though Iron Man wound up grossing more domestically than the third Pirates film, so anything is possible). We're not necessarily all that pumped about On Stranger Tides here-- it ranked pretty low on our 2011 movie preview-- but we're always willing to be pleasantly surprised by an entertaining, ridiculous expensive summer movie.

Also, Slashfilm paid extra attention to the video above and noticed an Easter Egg on the set that pays homage to the original Pirates theme park ride. Click over there for more info on that, Disney nerds!