‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5’ Lands A Pair Of Directors

Two talented filmmakers will walk the cinematic plank for Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

Directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg will help Disney bring the fifth installment of the lucrative franchise to the big screen. Their Norwegian adventure flick Kon-Tiki was up for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 2013 Academy Awards.

Deadline reports that the duo beat a handful of other contenders for the job, including Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) and Fredrik Bond (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman).

According to Collider, veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer was particularly interested in getting Ronning and Sandberg to sign on for Pirates of the Caribbean 5. Once the deal is inked, the duo will set to work on the sequel. Production is expected to begin either ate this year or early next year.

Since the franchise probably wouldn’t exist without him, Johnny Depp has agreed to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow once again. He’s presently the only actor who has signed on for the project.

Disney is no doubt hoping Ronning and Sandberg can bring some fresh ideas into the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Director Rob Marshall’s On Stranger Tides only grossed around $241 million in the US. However, the film performed extremely well overseas; foreign grosses reached upwards of $800 million. This helped the film pass the $1 billion mark worldwide.

Since the grosses have steadily decreased since Dead Man’s Chest, the studio is hoping to get the franchise back on its feet before it bottoms out altogether. If Pirates of the Caribbean 5 doesn’t hit the right notes at the box office, it could be Sparrow’s last cinematic adventure.

Disney is hoping to get the fifth installment into theaters by 2015. More details about the project will surely bubble up as production gets underway.

Are you looking forward to Pirates of the Caribbean 5? Do you think Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg are the right choices to spearhead the project?