While many Hollywood studios begin to wind down before the holidays, Disney isn't letting any precious time go to waste as they focus on casting someone for the last major role in the fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie starring Johnny Depp. The female lead for the latest installment of the swashbuckler franchise is still up in the air, and time is running out before filming is scheduled to begin.

According to Variety, Disney is giving screen tests to a handful of actresses who are in the running for the part in the next week.

Details on the role itself are still fairly vague, other than that the leading lady will likely be a love interest for Brenton Thwaites, the actor playing a British soldier who joins forces with Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. Now Thwaites' role is secured, Disney will be able to conduct chemistry tests to see how Thwaites interacts with the various actresses on-screen.

Some of actresses on the list of contenders include Lucy Boynton ("Miss Potter"), Gabriella Wilde ("Endless Love"), French actress Jenna Thiam, Kaya Scodelario ("Maze Runner") and Alexandra Dowling ("The Musketeers"), according to CinemaBlend.

Besides Depp and Thwaites, the role of the villain has also been found in Javier Bardem. He will play the antagonist and join his wife, actress Penelope Cruz, who is also involved.

Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg will be directing the picture, titled "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." Jerry Bruckheimer will continue to produce this film as he did with the other "Pirates" movies. Production is set to begin in the first quarter of 2015.

The rush to cast one of these actresses doesn't mean audiences will see them in theaters soon. Currently, The Walt Disney Company has "Pirates 5," as it's also known, scheduled to be released on July 7, 2017.

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