Javier Bardem, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a psychopathic assassin in No Country for Old Men, is reportedly in talks to play the villain in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

Citing anonymous sources, TheWrap reports the actor would play a ghost pirate who seeks revenge against Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow for the murder of his brother. Christoph Waltz had at one point been rumored for the role.

The fantasy-adventure, thought to be subtitled Dead Men Tell No Tales, will be directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) from a script by Jeff Nathanson.

According to the website, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane and Stephen Graham are expected to reprise their roles, while Keith Richards and Orlando Bloom could have cameos. Variety adds that Disney is searching for a young male to step into a role similar to Bloom's Will Turner in the first three Pirates films.

Production is scheduled to begin in January in Australia for a July 2017 release.