Russell Brand the Pirate.

According to The Daily Mail, Russell Brand is close to inking a deal to appear in Pirates of the Caribbean 4 as Captain Jack Sparrow’s younger brother, Jonathan Sparrow. The British comedian, who was forced to resign from his BBC Radio 2 show, could be catapulted in the Hollywood A-list for this role.

A source quoted in The Sun said the part was "perfectly suited" to Brand, who is known for his eccentric style. "There's a lot of Jack Sparrow in his mannerisms and behaviour. Depp's accent isn't a million miles away from Russell's either," the source said.

"Russell joining the Sparrows alongside Johnny and Keith Richards as their dad will complete the ultimate on-screen pirate family."

Brand caused massive controversy after prank calls were made to actor Andrew Sachs, where crude sexual comments were made about his grand daughter. The BBC received more than 18 000 calls of complaint over this incident.

Now, only a week after resigning, Brand could end up earning 5 million (almost $8 million US) for his role. Some have considered this cheap compared to £32 million that Johnny Depp is seeking to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp’s co-stars, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly, are unlikely to appear in the latest installment.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently talked about making the fourth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He says the script is in the works and hopes to have the film in theaters by 2012, as he is currently working on other films.