As talk of a fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie is starting to gain in intensity, director Gore Verbinski, who spent the last six years of his life bringing the trilogy to life, has just announced that he will no longer be a part of the franchise. It was an honor working on all three movies, but the legendary director wants to focus on other projects as well, Variety informs.

According to the same source, the project is still in its early stages – in fact, it is in such an early phase that, although things are coming along nicely, it has not yet been greenlit by the movie studio. However, when it does get approval, Verbinski will not be part of the big picture since he has already moved on to other projects. A replacement for the director has not yet been announced, and neither will it be so too soon, the same source hints.

“Sequel is in development but not yet greenlit. It’s unknown how Verbinski’s ankling will affect the pic’s schedule. Verbinski will instead focus on other projects that include ‘Bioshock,’ a Universal Pictures adaptation of the bestselling vidgame that has a John Logan script and is likely to be Verbinski’s next film as a director.” Variety explains.

Nevertheless, Verbinski is not leaving the franchise with hard feelings; far from it, he says for the same source. “I had a fantastic time bringing ‘Pirates’ to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry [Bruckheimer], Johnny [Depp] and the rest of the creative and production team. I’m looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future.” the acclaimed director says.

Another important player who might be leaving the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise might also be one of the main stars, British actress Keira Knightley. Just recently, Keira revealed that she was no longer interested in doing a fourth “Pirates” film, saying that it was time for her to concentrate on other projects. She too, however, expressed her joy at having had the honor of working on all three films and vouched that, no matter what the future might bring for her, she would still be among the first fans to queue to see the fourth film when it came out.