Update: Keith Richards NOT Cut From PotC 4
A Disney spokesperson confirms that the rumors are completely unfounded and not true. They've also just posted this message on their Facebook page: "Fear not Pirates fans, we are happy to confirm that Keith Richards will be returning as Captain Teague in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, setting sail May 2011!"
Although Disney was able to look past Keith Richards' drug face long enough to invite him back to the 'Pirates' franchise for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, a new book penned by The Rolling Stones guitarist could prove to be too much for the family-friendly empire.
Richards' new autobiography, 'Life,' presents the musician's "trademark disarming honesty ... [bringing] ... us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true." In other words, he explains how the hell he survived taking all those drugs. If you're like most people, you probably just assumed his body was being preserved by the mass amounts of chemicals he ingested. Richards, however, explains that the secret was quality over quantity: "It's not only the high quality of drugs I had that I attribute my survival to. I was very meticulous about how much I took. I'd never put more in to get a little higher."
Drudge Report tells us that an entertainment insider has suggested "they very well could end up cutting Keith out of the new movie over this." Though the musician has struggled with sobriety on and off over the years, if these rumors are indeed true, then Disney may want to stick to cartoon characters for their leading men and women because most of Hollywood would be considered unemployable. Also, if the morality police are going to use drugs as the basis for kicking out cast members, then where do you draw the line? 'Pirates' shining star, Johnny Depp, doesn't exactly have a squeaky clean past -- sporting an arrest record for a paparazzi scuffle in 1999 and trashing a hotel suite in 1994.
Seriously, just the idea was so stupid. Because the kids who are seeing the Pirates movies are going to go out, read his memoirs and then go "huh, maybe drugs are awesome"? Come on. Also, this is an awesome and very nearly coherent NPR interview with Keith about the book!
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