Astrid Berges-Frisbey cast as a mermaid in the next Pirates of the Caribbean flick

Bergès-Frisbey will play “the key role of Syrena, a beautiful and alluring young mermaid.” Unfortunately, the studio reveals nothing else in regards to story. All we know at this point is that the film has something to do with the Fountain of Youth.

We know Johnny Depp is back, and joining him are the great additions of Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane. But what of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley? Bloom took a couple of years off and was last seen in a segment of 2009’s NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU. He has ALBERT NOOBS with Amanda Seyfried and Jonathan Rhys Meyers slated for sometime next year (he was also attached to the Andrew Niccol sci-fi film THE CROSS which appears to no longer be in production… don’t know what the whole story is there).

As for Knightley, she didn’t sound too optimistic about coming back for a fourth Pirates film when talking to MTV back in September of ’08. We’ve heard nothing to the contrary since. The actress has been cast in a number of projects to date, two of which (Noah Baumbach’s THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN and David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD, formerly known as THE TALKING CURE) are shooting this summer. With ON STRANGER TIDES gearing up to shoot this June in Hawaii, I wouldn’t bet on Knightley’s return. Maybe Bloom will come back, but without Knightley’s Elizabeth Swan, what would be the point?