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When it was announced at last month's D23 Expo that the fourth installment in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise would be subtitled On Stranger Tides, the Web was abuzz over whether the movie would be based on Tim Powers' 1988 pirate-themed fantasy novel On Stranger Tides or if it was just ripping off its title.

The Los Angeles Times spoke with Powers yesterday, who confirmed that Disney optioned the screen rights to his novel three years ago. Powers wasn't certain until last week whether he could even talk about the deal publicly.

"I've watched all the [Pirates] movies several times, of course, and I think the clear thing they would use is the trip to the Fountain of Youth," Powers told the paper. "My main character doesn't overlap with Jack Sparrow at all [in personality or circumstance]; they're totally different characters. I suppose they might overlap the Geoffrey Rush character Barbossa and Blackbeard. The only thing I feel certain they will hold on to is the Fountain of Youth since they telegraphed that at the end of the last movie."

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is slated for a 2011 release.