After the Oscar-nominated success of Kon-Tiki, Hollywood got very interested in filmmakers Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning. Now they’ve landed a huge gig, as they’re in negotiations to direct Pirates of the Caribbean 5, according to Deadline.
Earlier this month it was reported that the directors were among the front runners for the job, along with Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) and Fredrik Bond (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman).
Johnny Depp is set to return as Captain Jack Sparrow, although no other cast members have been confirmed yet. Both Johnny Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer signed off on the directing duo, with a deal expected to be finalised quickly, so that the filmmakers can get preparations under way for a January 2014 start of principal photography.
They’ll work from a script by Jeff Nathanson (Men in Black 3, Tower Heist), although no story details have been confirmed at this time.
Joining the Pirates franchise has meant Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning have had to step away from Spectral, with Legendary already moving quickly to replace them on the supernatural thriller with commercials director Nic Mathieu.