The comedian, who resigned from his BBC Radio 2 show last week over the obscene phone calls made to actor Andrew Sachs, could earn up to £5 million in the role.

He would not be the first tousled British star to appear alongside Johnny Depp in the film series; Rolling Stone Keith Richards had a brief cameo as Jack Sparrow’s father in Pirates of the Caribbean 3.

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.”

Despite his problems in Britain, Brand has a growing profile in Hollywood.

Since making his US film debut earlier this year in romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he has worked on a Disney film, Bedtime Stories, due for release at Christmas, and has a role alongside Dame Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons in a big screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Asked after his resignation last week what he planned to do with his free time, Brand said: “Well, the show was only two hours long. I hope to go to America now and make quite a lot of films.”
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