Chow Yun-fat to star in Pirates of the Caribbean 3

According to Variety, Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have enlisted Chow Yun-fat for Pirates of the Caribbean 3.

Chow will play Capt. Sao Feng, a notorious pirate who plays a major role in the second sequel to 2003's Disney blockbuster.

It is the Hong Kong native's first English-language role since Bulletproof Monk in 2003.

Pirates 2 and 3 are shooting back-to-back, with production skedded through January. The shoot is currently in a scheduled hiatus so helmer Gore Verbinski can ready portions of Pirates 2, formally monikered Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, for post-production, with an eye toward a July 2006 release. Pirates 3 is skedded for summer 2007.

Shooting stopped June 10 and will resume in mid-August in Los Angeles, shifting back to Caribbean locations later in the year. Some Pirates 2 footage remains to be shot, but most of the remaining shooting days will be devoted to Pirates 3.