The Hollywood trend of running as many ships as the sea can take continues, and with gusto.

After the success of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, which involved all three films being shot simultaneously, the super-successful Pirates Of The Caribbean will shoot two more sequels. 

The film rocked the box-office largely because of lead actor Johnny Depp. The flamboyant star -- at the peak of his powers -- will gladly reprise his role in the sequels.

In fact, the entire team will reunite for Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 and 3, including Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightley and Geoffrey Rush, with director Gore Verbinski at the helm.

Then there's the brilliant news that Keith Richards, the aging guitarist of the never-say-die band The Rolling Stones, will play father to Depp's character Jack Sparrow. Adding to the cast in both sequels will be a jewellery-covered gypsy queen with tattoos, dreadlocks and clairvoyant powers, whose name is Tia Dalma. The role is being cast now, and, almost unheard-of in casting notices, word is she 'doesn't have to be beautiful.'

The sequels will begin shooting in February 2005.

Depp is causing a relentless storm across Hollywood right now, with his film, Finding Neverland getting good reviews. Two more of his films, The Libertine and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory -- Tim Burton's take on the Roald Dahl novel -- are on their way to the screens.

Coming up is the biopic of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly. Depp plays Bauby, who was paralysed in 1995 but went on to communicate eloquently by blinking his left eye.

Also in the unending Depp pipeline is the feature adaptation of Hunter S Thompson's The Rum Diaries, a project the actor is very passionate about. 

Depp has confirmed participation in Shantaram, based on Gregory David Roberts' novel, featuring the Hollywood hunk as an Australian heroin addict who lands up in Mumbai posing as a doctor, before moving on to fight for freedom in Afghanistan.

Phew! 

Photograph: Getty Images