Bruckheimer has a reputation for bristling over franchise related questions. But he cheerfully confirms Pirates 5 (“We’re working on the story right now”) and is unashamed of the decision to continue the series.

“The success made the decision,” says Bruckheimer. “The first three feel like a unit of movies, so we wanted this to be more of a stand-alone.

"New cast, new characters. I’m aware of the criticism that the third movie was too complicated and this is our way of addressing that – fewer characters, freshen things up.”

“I think the accusations of complexity are a little unfair,” says Terry Rossio. “No one complains that something like Lost is too complex. They love it because their understanding of the different layers make them feel like real fans.

"But this one is a bit more like a Bond movie – it’s informed by what’s come before but it’s not part of a sequence. It’s a single story. So I guess that makes it a bit more approachable.”