While I’m not too keen on a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean, I have come to accept it. It’s inevitable, even despite the poor reception that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is being met with. And looking at those box office numbers, you can bet that number five won’t be the last of the series.
At least the one good thing is that we won’t necessarily have Rob Marshall behind the camera. Instead, Cinema Blend gives us a list of other directors Disney is looking at. While Marshall is still on the list (an offer was made to him months ago actually), Hollywood insiders are whispering about a couple other big names that Disney has their eye on. The studio’s top choice is said to be Tim Burton, and with the star of the film being Johnny Depp, it’s an obvious first choice.
Rounding out Disney’s wishlist are Shawn Levy, Sam Raimi, Chris Weitz, and Alfonso Cuaron. An interesting yet somewhat unlikely list. We know that Raimi is busy with Oz: The Great and Powerful for the next little while and Alfonso Cuaron, despite doing a franchise film years ago (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), is not likely to return to the territory. Although, if he can’t get Gravity off the ground, who knows?
Shawn Levy did the Night At the Museum films, which may make him a nice fit for the job so I wouldn’t count him out just yet. And then there’s Chris Weitz, who is responsible for films like The Golden Compass and Twilight: New Moon. Like Levy, I can also see him taking the gig as he has experience with CGI and big budget films. So out of the names we see here, if Marshall doesn’t return, I’d put my money on Levy or Weitz. Although Burton would be ideal, I’m not sure I see it happening.
But then again, there’s also the question of whether Depp will return. If he doesn’t, the franchise is done. So there’s still a lot up in the air but one thing is for certain. As long as these films keep making money like they do at the box office, Hollywood will keep churning them out.