You would think a big bad outlet like USA Today would be given some delightful stills from a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean 4– you know, nice sharp pictures to go along with their piece. Nope! Instead there’s a new grossly compressed picture that gives us a look at Penelope Cruz, along with a rather tall (but interesting) photo of Jack being dragged to see the King [below].

Crummy quality pictures aside, what I find most interesting about this little USA Today piece is Depp speaking about the structure of the film, which will see things streamlined and focused on Sparrow.

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

I haven’t been keeping up strictly with released plot details for the film, so this is also the first time I’ve heard that Jack and Barbossa will be seeking the Fountain of Youth on orders from King George II. I like that detail for some reason, and combined with less overall bullshit the film will be covering, my already optimistic view of a stripped-down Pirates film has improved that much more. There’s a few more quotes from Depp at the original piece about playing Sparrow, if you care to take a look.

The 3D film is set for the 20th of May 2011.