They were said to be the frontrunners for the Pirates of the Caribbean 5 directing gig when a shortlist of filmmakers vying for the job was released a couple weeks ago, but it seems as though its been made official. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, who gained a great deal of buzz for their action-adventure film Kon-Tiki, have apparently been chosen to bring Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow back to the big screen.
According to Deadline, which first reported that Rønning and Sandberg got the job, says that Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have both signed off on the duo taking over the franchise and that now the studio has entered negotiations to get some ink on the dotted line. The filmmakers, who originate from Norway, beat out a number of big up-and-coming names for the film, including The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman's Fredrik Bond and Rupert Sanders.
The script for the movie is still being written and many pieces still have to fall into place before they will be ready to start filming, but they are currently aiming to start production either late this year or next January. Jeff Nathanson, whose credits include Tower Heist, Catch Me If You Can and the last two Rush Hour movies, is handling the screenplay, though it's unknown at this time what the plot will be about.
Rønning and Sandberg only have two other feature credits, though some may recognize them from the Penelope Cruz/Salma Hayek action comedy Bandidas, which they made in 2006.
