 Before the film began production, it was speculated that Jack Sparrow would replace Jack Shandy as the story's protagonist.Tim Powers stated that the Fountain of Youth would definitely be in the film because it was teased in "At World's End", but also said that Sparrow and Shandy are "totally different characters", and that Hector Barbossa and Blackbeard might overlap.On March 22, 2010, Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that both Barbossa and Blackbeard (portrayed by Ian McShane) would be in the film, with Blackbeard as the villain.