Brenton Thwaites is reportedly nearing a deal to join Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Thwaites is being considered to take on the role of British soldier Henry, a character described by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the sequel's male leads.

The Fault in Our Stars' Ansel Elgort and Sunshine on Leith actor George Mackay were previously reported to be in contention to play Henry.

The character serves as a replacement for Orlando Bloom's swashbuckling hero Will Turner, following Bloom's departure from the franchise.

Thwaites had two high-profile films out this year, as he played Prince Phillip in Disney's Maleficent and the heroic Jonas in The Giver.

Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush are expected to reprise their roles as the eccentric pirate Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl's mutinous captain Hector Barbossa, respectively. Javier Bardem is in talks to play a new villain.

Keira Knightley – who played Elizabeth Swann in three previous movies – has confirmed that she will not be returning to the franchise.

Norwegian filmmakers Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg will be working on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, when it begins production next year in Australia.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opens on July 7, 2017 in the US and the UK.