Pirates of the Caribbean 4 may have just hit a speed bump (or it's water equivalent... sperm whale?). Suddenly Disney’s mega-money Pirates franchise is without a director. Gore Verbinski, the main man behind the first three Caribbean films has jumped ship. Variety says he’s informed producers that he will not helm the fourth installment.

Instead, Verbinksi has decided to direct another sea-faring movie. Only this time he’s going underwater. He’s helming Bioshock, a movie based on the popular videogame about an underwater city haunted by crazed mutants and other strange things which must be killed. That, not Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4 will be his next film.

That leaves Disney in the hunt for a new helmer. Let the wild, half-assed rumors commence. Tim Burton anyone? They’re planning to release it in 2010, so while they have a little time odds are they’ll need to get moving on the sequel soon. Johnny Depp is still back as Captain Jack Sparrow, and as long as you’ve got that it probably doesn’t matter who they hire to direct the CGI monsters around him.