Keith Richards sets sail as Depp's pirate dad

Keith Richard is set to sail onto the world's cinema screens next Spring as Johnny Depp's dad.

The third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga is due to be released next May.

Dead ringer for Captain Jack

And Keith Richards - the model for Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow - will be playing his father.

Richards, who recently escaped death after falling out of a tree in Fiji, has been filming a cameo for Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End.

He flew out to Hollywood after finishing the Rolling Stones European tour.

Fellow band member Ronnie Wood said Richards had been "hard at work on the set with Johnny Depp.

"He said he's gonna come to the next rehearsal in character - he's gonna come straight off set dressed as a pirate, and come to rehearsals." Wood said that clean shaven Richards was undergoing a bit of a change for the role: "He said to me: 'I'm not allowed to shave from now on, so they're gonna tie little bits on my beard. Whatever bits grow, they're gonna dangle bits off of it, and the longer it gets, the more they're gonna tie on'."

"He promised to take a Polaroid as I'm dying to see it!," said Wood.

Depp has told how he modelled his flamboyant character, Captain Jack Sparrow, on Richards, a personal friend.

In an interview he said: "I thought of Keith because he's a guy I've admired for many, many years. I didn't want to do an imitation of Keith, or a character study, just a kind of salute to him, you know, to show him I appreciate him.

"I was thinking about the pirates of the 18th century, about how they were the rocks stars of their day.

"So I thought who's the greatest rock and roll star who ever lived? And to me, it's Keith Richards hands down. Keith is a bit of a pirate himself."

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have also returned to Los Angeles to shoot some of the studio scenes.

The second movie in the series, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," has become the third film to pass $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.

Disney announced that the new Pirates of the Caribbean will be released globally on May 25th next year, rather than gradually around the world.

Mark Zoradi, president of the Disney Motion Pictures Group said: "All we need to do is get the trailer out there, put together a good campaign and I think the audience is going to be with us."

But it may not be the last Pirates film. "The third film... will conclude the initial Pirates trilogy, though it is unlikely to be the last Pirates sequel."

Richards filmed his performance before The Stones began US tour dates this week.