THERE are probably few safer bets for summer success than the return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest.

Gore Verbinski’s original was the surprise runaway smash of the summer of 2003 and fans have been licking their lips in anticipation of the sequel ever since.

And franchise producer, Jerry Bruckheimer is well aware of the challenge ahead of his team – but maintains that everything is in place for another joyful romp.

“The anticipation for this movie is just so high,” he told Empire. “The challenge now is really good storytelling. It’s a funnier, more exciting script, I think.”

The story finds Jack Sparrow at the mercy of his nemesis, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who has emerged from the murky depths of the Caribbean to claim a blood debt.

Meanwhile, the East India Company continues to try and rid the oceans of pirates and any of their cohorts, including Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) who continually find their attempts to get married thwarted by both Sparrow and the zombie-like presence of Will’s father, Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgaard).

As well as fun, audiences are promised a somewhat darker sequel that may serve to set things up for the third film in the series, which was filmed back to back.

Of the set pieces to look forward to from the trailer, a swordfight between Jack and Will inside a giant wheel looks pretty spectacular, while Jack’s encounter with a group of cannibals should provide plenty of food for his trademark humour.

The film looks fun and suggests that the spirit of the original has been successfully recaptured – particularly as the cast and crew has survived mostly intact.

Director Verbinski is aware, however, of the pressure for success – both from fans and from board members at Disney.

But he is adamant that the film charts new territory and takes risks – a ploy that helped to secure the services of Depp once again.

In an interview with Total Film, for instance, he is quoted as saying: “You have to go in and make something that’s dangerous, that’s on the edge, that might not work. Especially working with Johnny.

“We only feel like we’re doing our job if we make executives nervous. If you’re not doing anything fresh, why would anyone come to see our movie.”

Evidence of such freshness can probably be gleaned from the fact that the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride is also being updated to include elements of the new film.

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