Production on Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean 5 isn’t expected to kick off until later this year or early next year, but the choice for director should be in within the next few weeks.  Here’s the reported short list:

• Fredrik Bond (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman)
• Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki)
• Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman)

Deadline reports that the Kon-Tiki co-directors are the names that are coming up most often in discussions.  Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can) has been tapped to pen the fifth installment of the property.  Check out what producer Jerry Bruckheimer had to say about the picture in a recent interview with Steve.

Shortly before producer Jerry Bruckheimer hit the CinemaCon stage in Las Vegas to talk about The Lone Ranger (watch the new trailer here), I landed a short video interview with him on the red carpet backstage.  Since I knew my time would be very limited, I decided to ask the most important question first: What will it take to get Bad Boys 3 made!

In addition to asking about a Bad Boys sequel, he also discussed his reaction to seeing the finished cut of The Lone Ranger, how they decided which footage to show at CinemaCon, and the status of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and National Treasure 3.  He says they’re working on scripts for both, with a team of writers working on National Treasure 3 and Ted Elliot/Terry Rossio and Jeff Nathanson writing Pirates 5.  Hit the jump to watch.

In addition to the big franchise news that Jurassic Park IV will be opening in 2014, Disney has just announced the screenwriter for Pirates of the Caribbean 5.  Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can) has been tapped to pen the fifth installment of the property kept afloat by star Johnny Depp as Cap’n Jack Sparrow.  Depp was “close” to signing on for the film back in 2011, but has yet to officially do so.  It’s also unclear whether previous co-stars like Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightley will return.  What is clear is that the multi-billion-dollar franchise is sailing forward.  Hit the jump for more on Nathanson and Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

Premiering at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival was director Sergio Castellitto‘s Twice Born.  Based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Mazzantini, the film stars Penelope Cruz as a single mother who returns with her teen son to present-day Sarajevo where her son’s father (Emile Hirsch) died during the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s.  As she tries to repair the relationship with her son, new revelations force her to rethink everything.  The film also stars Mira Fulran and Jane Birkin and you can watch the first trailer here.

Before the world premiere, I landed an exclusive interview with Penelope Cruz.  We talked about a broad array of things, such as premiering at TIFF, social networking and email, why she wanted to make Twice Born, the type of research she does for a role, rehearsals, how many takes she likes to do and the way Woody Allen works, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, Pedro Almovodar‘s I’m So Excited (where she finally works with  Antonio Banderas) and more.  In addition, with Cruz currently filming Ridley Scott‘s The Counselor, we talked about why she signed on to the project and who she plays.  Hit the jump for the audio and transcript.

With Joss Whedon‘s The Avengers hitting Blu-ray and DVD this week (click here to buy in on Amazon), I recently got to visit ILM in San Francisco to talk with some of the visual effect supervisors. While many movies have amazing effects, it’s only when you combine them with a great story and interesting characters that you get something special, like The Avengers.

During my interview with Animation Director Marc Chu, we talked about what it was like to work on The Avengers, creating the Hulk transformation, Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean, what Hulk effects they will be able to do in The Avengers sequel that they couldn’t accomplish in the first film, the length of time he spends on a project, deleted scenes, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

In a recent interview with Geoffrey Rush, the Pirates of the Caribbean star confessed he had no idea when the fifth installment would be going forward.  But now we know where it’s going, at least.  Pirates of the Caribbean 5 appears to be headed to Puerto Rico to start shooting this November. That’s good news, since the status of the film is somewhat in flux, with Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) possibly returning to direct and the script in the process of being finalized. As we all know, the next installment (and the franchise itself) sets its course by its star, Johnny Depp.  Should we expect to see him in Puerto Rico this fall?  Hit the jump for more.

Recently, I was invited to visit the ILM Campus in the Bay Area to discuss the development of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and see some of the new Blu-ray features that Disney has developed for the disc. While touring the effects house, I got to talk to visual effects art director Aaron McBride and visual effects supervisor Ben Snow.

During the interviews, Snow and McBride told me about how pirate maps influence the design of the films, why they can’t reuse digital armatures, what it’s like to be nominated for an Oscar, how the director influences the effects work, and more.  Read on for the complete interviews and a list of the 15 things I learned.

When DVD first hit the scene it was, to steal a phrase from Disney’s Aladdin, “A whole new world.” The bonus features let cinephiles behind the scenes for the first time and laid bare the often-arduous mechanics behind crafting a feature film. But, as the medium matured, many of these features became stagnant. Now, with the advent of Blu-ray and the connectivity opportunities offered by iPads, film studios are once again finding new ways to expand upon the medium of bonus features.

Disney is out ahead of the pack, using big-ticket releases like Bambi and now Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to introduce new ways to interact with the film and encourage consumers to buy, rather than rent. Read on to hear about the new, “Second Screen” technology.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was a very different film than its three predecessors. Whereas Gore Verbinski’s trilogy traded on the charm of Johnny Depp’s anti-hero swashbuckling his way through some of the biggest effects ever committed to film, this latest entry took a more intimate approach, focusing on the love story of a mermaid and a young missionary who fights to protect her.

Read on to find out why what became of the most extreme monsters.

To promote the upcoming Blu-Ray release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, hitting stores on October 18, Disney invited myself and a few other journalists up to the Bay Area to visit the Industrial Light and Magic campus and see how the film was made.

During my visit, I got to tour ILM, see concept art, some of which differs wildly from the finished product, and interview visual effects supervisor Ben Snow and visual effects director Aaron McBride. We’ll have write ups on the disc’s unique iPad-based interactive features as well as the interviews everyday this week, but today I just want to tell you about what it’s like to walk through the halls of ILM.  Hit the jump for the full story.

For a while there, it looked as if we might be spared another rushed entry in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as star/lynchpin Johnny Depp was reportedly not entirely certain he wanted to return. Well apparently the actor realized that he doesn’t own enough houses in France and/or armbands, because now The Wrap reports that Depp is close to a deal to return once again in a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film. (The Wrap now reports that Depp’s total profits from the entire franchise so far is $350 million. Holy hell).

This really isn’t all that surprising. The latest sequel, On Stranger Tides, just crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box-office. Obviously Disney and everyone involved behind the scenes that stands to make even more money was itching to go back to the well. Hit the jump for more.

I’m gonna do us all a favor by not using the words matey, or scalliwag in this article.  I won’t be referring to the box office take of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean sequel as “booty,” either.  I’ll just tell you that On Stranger Tides has earned the highest first-weekend total of any release of 2011, with an estimated $90.1 million from 4,155 locations (over $346 million worldwide).  Then I’ll make with the equivocating, savvy?

Captain Jack is back!  Come to rescue us all from Davy Jones’ Locker (a metaphor for this year’s dismal domestic box office or for the impenetrable plots of his last two sequels – you decide!).  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides already had $44.2 million in international swag going into its domestic debut on Friday.  On these shores, Pirates 4 grabbed an estimated $35 million from 4,155 locations – 65% of which were 3D equipped.  That is just a bit better than the $34.3 million Fast Five saw three weeks ago in its (non-3D) debut.  But it’s also well under the $44.7 million At World’s End took in on its first Friday back in 2007.  Right now it looks like Pirates 4 will run aground before reaching its predecessor’s $114.7 million weekend gross – though it’s still possible for the Disney film to become the first of 2011 to open above the $100 million mark.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

With Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hitting theaters in a week, we’ve been given an exclusive TV spot reminding you to see it in IMAX 3D.  As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of IMAX, and if you have the option of seeing it in the large screen format, it’s definitely worth it.  Also, unlike most 3D films that are post converted and look terrible, Pirates was filmed in 3D.  Which means it should look great in 3D.

For more on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, here’s all our previous coverage.  We’ve got on set interviews, posters, clips, images, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for the TV spot.

In what was surely one of the biggest premieres of all time, Disneyland was shut down on Saturday, May 7^th so that the entire cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, including the monkey, could turn out to greet fans and sign autographs. Thousands of park guests showed up starting at midnight to see all of the special guests at the first-ever outdoor film premiere in 3D, which was also a benefit for Boys & Girls Club of America.

Joining Mickey Mouse himself were cast members Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz , Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Sam Claflin, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Kevin McNally, Óscar Jaenada, Greg Ellis, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, various mermaids and zombies, director Rob Marshall, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, composer Hans Zimmer, book author Tim Powers and Disney Chairman Bob Iger. Other celebs who made appearances on the black carpet were Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jodie Foster, Desperate Housewives co-stars Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria, Eliza Dushku with boyfriend Rick Fox, Kirstie Alley with Dancing with the Stars partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Martin Short, rocker Steven Tyler, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Emma Roberts, Andy Garcia, Karl Urban and Steven R. McQueen of The Vampire Diaries, among others. Check out all of the exclusive photos after the jump: