First look: Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz swashbuckling their way through Pirates of The Caribbean 4

It's been four years since Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow last strutted around a ship in a Pirates of the Caribbean film. 

So fans are on tender hooks for the fourth instalment of the billion dollar film franchise which hits cinemas next year.

And if these new images from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides are anything to go by, Captain Jack will have a lot on his plate.

Ahoy there! Penelope Cruz as Angelica, and Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow encounter Blackbeard (Ian McShane) in a scene from Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

One photo shows the captain and his new accomplice Angelica (Penelope Cruz) involved in an altercation with her father Blackbeard, played by British actor Ian McShane.

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Another features Captain Jack pushing a boat out from the beach in an attempt to flee from another precarious situation, with him also jumping on a carriage to escape from pursuers King George II (Richard Griffiths) and his royal guards. 

The film follows Jack and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) as they embark on a quest to find the elusive Fountain of Youth on behalf of the king, only to discover Angelica and Blackbeard are after it too.

On the high seas: Depp's eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow attempts to escape from yet another scrape

Rebel with a cause: Captain Jack flees from the clutches of King George and his royal guards by jumping from carriage to carriage in a daring escape bid

Angelica, a mysterious woman from Captain Jack's past, ends up forcing him aboard Blackbeard’s ship the Queen Anne's Revenge.

As he embarks on his unexpected adventure, Sparrow is left uncertain whether to fall for Angelica or if she's actually a ruthless con artist who is using him.

This time round, there's no Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom, but according to Depp, the forthcoming film aims to attract new fans to the franchise. 

'What's most interesting about Pirates 4 is you don't have to connect the dots for these subplots and sub-characters,' he told USA Today.  'It felt like a fresh, clean slate.'

A pirates life: Captain Jack eyes up a magical chalice on his quest to find the fountain of youth in the new film

The new images also show Captain Jack on several adventures with Angelica - who is dressed in Pirates style with hat and embroidered coat.

'We have our bouts in the film, but there's also this residue of what might have been. It's a kind of love-hate thing,' the actor admits. 'There's a little flavour of both.'

The movie, which was filmed in Hawaii, California and London,  will be shown in 3D in 2011.

Larger than life: Captain Jack and Angelica team up in the forthcoming instalment of the Pirates franchise

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