Chow Yun-Fat will star in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3".

Chow will play Captain Sao Feng, a notorious pirate who plays a major role in the sequel.

"Pirates" 2 and 3 are shooting back-to-back, with production scheduled through January. The trade says the shoot is currently in a scheduled hiatus so director Gore Verbinski can ready portions of "Pirates 2," formally monikered Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man´s Chest, for post-production, with an eye toward a July 2006 release. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 is scheduled for summer 2007.

Shooting stopped June 10 and will resume in mid-August in Los Angeles, shifting back to Caribbean locations later in the year.

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