"Kon-Tiki' directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg to helm 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'

Any chance that Pirates of the Caribbean would sail off into the sunset with 'On Stranger Tides' were dashed when it turned out to be the second $1B-grossing hit of the franchise, largely powered by 3D prices and foreign receipts. Disney began working up a plan for a fifth film pretty quickly, hiring Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull scribe Jeff Nathanson to start work on the script. Those dubious credentials aside, a shortlist of promising directors emerged that included Fredrik Bond (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman), Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman), and Kon-Tiki duo Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg as dark horses.

In a surprising turn of events it was the long shots who actually came away with the job as Rønning and Sandberg will direct the next sea-faring adventure of Jack Sparrow. It's a fit that could be perfect as the Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki chronicled a famous real-life voyage on the high seas, although that one was on a makeshift raft and not a vessel like Sparrow's Black Pearl.

No plot details are available at this point. Nor are there any indications if anyone from the prior films will return. Penelope Cruz was one of the major additions last time around, and she's worked with the new directors in the past on their directorial debut, Bandidas, so maybe this decision could impact her involvement. Pirates of the Caribbean 5 opens on July 10th 2015. [Deadline]