Captains of cool: Johnny and Keith rock the red carpet

Depp and Richards, sporting notably similar outfits complete with white shirts and vests, walked the red carpet separately, but reunited on stage where they hugged affectionately.

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Depp wore a very similar ensemble to Richards - a man he calls a 'god'

Richards now refers to Depp as 'Johnny, me boy'

The film's other stars, including Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy and Naomie Harris made an appearance, but leading lady Keira Knightley was a no show.

Actress Emma Roberts, the niece of Hollywood heavyweight Julia Roberts, and Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher also turned out for the fun.

Depp was instrumental in persuading the Rolling Stones guitarist to play Jack Sparrow's father, Captain Teague.

Of working with Richards, Depp told American magazine Entertainment Weekly: "The anticipation was mad. Everybody was like, 'Is he going to do it? Is he going to do it?' And then whammo, he arrived at 8 o'clock in the morning, totally prepped and ready to go."

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Orlando Bloom and up and coming actress Emma Roberts posed for the cameras

Geoffrey Rush couldn't resist a bit of monkey business, while Bill Nighy struggled to see straight

"Obviously, Keith Richards — the guy invented charisma. But what I didn't expect was he was going to be such a great actor.

"I started calling him 'Two-Take Richards'. It was like this gunslinger who arrived in the town, charmed all the women and impressed all the men, and then split."

Richards recently admitted to falling asleep while watching the second instalment of the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Bloom, who plays Will Turner, said: "It's been an incredible ride and it really feels like the audience and the fans have made this movie what it is. So it's cool to be a part of it."

Teri Hatcher - in a pirate themed scull and crossbone tank - kept is casual, while Naomie Harris glammed up in a floor length gown