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Could the storyline for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 be based in part on a 1988 fantasy novel called On Stranger Tides? The evidence leads one to believe that it is.

First, the facts: in 1988 On Stranger Tides was published. Written by Tim Powers, the book is a fantasy adventure set in the world of pirates and, most interestingly, the Fountain of Youth. Here is the book's plot as described in its Wikipedia entry:

"The book follows the exploits of John 'Jack Shandy' Chandagnac, who travels to the new world after the death of his puppeteer father to confront his uncle, who apparently has made off with the family inheritance. During the voyage, he gets to know a woman named Beth Hurwood and her father, an Oxford professor. Before they arrive, their ship is waylaid by pirates and, with the help of the professor and his assistant, the captain is killed and Chandagnac is forced to join the pirate crew. The reader discovers a sinister plot being concocted by the professor involving his dead wife, his living daughter and Blackbeard Chandagnac, now known as 'Jack Shandy', must put a stop to these plans and save Beth Hurwood."

A quest for the Fountain of Youth was mentioned at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and if the fourth Pirates does keep that promised premise as its storyline then it's quite unusual that the movie's subtitle is the same as a pirate story involving the same quest, don't you think?

Latino Review certainly thought so and they set out to contact Powers' literary agent to discover if there was a connection. The answer they got back was most intriguing: as the site quoted the agent directly, "I can tell you it is not a coincidence."

Albeit it's unusual for Hollywood to base a movie sequel on a stand-alone novel's premise, it has happened before on occasion. For example, the novel 58 Minutes was used as the premise for Die Hard 2: Die Harder.