The news isn't that Rob Marshall has confirmed that he'll be doing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-- we've known that was happening for months. But at a recent screening of Marshall's new film, the Daniel Day-Lewis starrer Nine, he mentioned that he has spoken with Johnny Depp and they are both excited to work together.

You may remember just over a month ago that executive Dick Cook left Disney, leaving Depp less than enthusiastic about the upcoming Pirates project. And despite more recent findings that his commitment to the film never wavered, an unenthusiastic Depp would have made for a less than stellar Captain Jack Sparrow.

This report from AICN makes it sounds like Marshall's involvement given Johnny the oomph he needed to get himself psyched up for the next Sparrow installment. It's still very wishy-washy whether Depp will be back for a fifth, but it looks like the fourth is going to move forward smoother than expected.