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.

Disney has announced a slew of release date changes.  Briefly:

• The Muppets 2 will be released on March 21, 2014.
• Maleficent has been pushed back from March 14, 2014 to July 2.
• 1952, director Brad Bird’s collaboration with screenwriter Damon Lindelof, will hit theaters in 3D on December 19, 2014.
• Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has been given a July 10, 2015 release date.
• The 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid on September 13, 2013 has been removed from the schedule.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy will be released in 3D.

Hit the jump for more details, including the confirmation of George Clooney in 1952 and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean 5. [Update: Brad Bird has now stated via Twitter that 3D has not been discussed for 1952, so Disney's press release may have been mistaken.  This doesn't mean the film absolutely won't be in 3D, just that Bird hasn't OK'd it yet.]

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.

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.

The Australian drama The Eye of the Storm, directed by Fred Schepisi and adapted from the novel by Nobel Prize winner Patrick White, tells the story of Elizabeth Hunter (Charlotte Rampling), as her son and daughter return home to convene at her deathbed.  As Sir Basil (Geoffrey Rush), a famous but struggling actor in London, and Dorothy (Judy Davis), a broke French princess, attempt to reconcile with their formidable and tempestuous mother to ensure their inheritance, all Mrs. Hunter wants to do is choose when and how she will die.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush talked about how he came to be a part of The Eye of the Storm, why he wanted to work with director Fred Schepisi, how gratifying it is to get such great feedback from American audiences about the film, how he went about understanding this character, and the awkwardness of doing sex scenes with the director’s daughter, Alexandra Schepisi, who was his co-star.  He also talked about the best part of being involved with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and that the script for the fifth film is currently in development, what attracts him to projects and roles now, and the film he just completed with Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso), called The Best Offer.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

Director Rob Marshall is heading back to musicals. After helming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Marshall signed on to direct a remake of the 1934 film The Thin Man with Johnny Depp attached to star, and now he’s set to reteam with Disney on a feature film version of Stephen Sondheim’s fairy tale-themed musical Into the Woods. Marshall got his start as a choreographer before bursting onto the scene with 2002’s Oscar-winning movie musical Chicago, and now he’s poised to return to the world of song and dance. Hit the jump for more.

Major studios are talking about tightening their belts and being more selective in their projects because the DVD revenue market has dried up and nothing has come along yet to replace its riches.  However, one can’t help but be amused that for Disney, belt-tightening meant trimming the cost of The Lone Ranger from $260 million to $215 million and that paying $215 million for a movie based on a serial western from the 1950s is good financial sense.

The wrangling over the budget was done in public and we tracked every ludicrous step.  Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement and the film was re-scheduled from December 21, 2012 to May 31, 2013.  Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently explained why production was shut down at the 11th hour, how they got the budget down to a “reasonable” number, what was cut from the script, and provides a minor update on Pirates of the Caribbean 5.  Hit the jump for what the prolific producer had to say.  The Lone Ranger will star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Ranger.

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.

It’s quite obvious that Johnny Depp loves playing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, as much as the audience loves seeing him do it. Taking that into consideration, along with the fact that the first three films brought in $2.6 billion worldwide, it’s really no surprise at all that everyone signed on to do Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, opening in theaters on May 20^th.

At the film’s press day, Johnny Depp and co-star Penelope Cruz, who’s new to the franchise, along with director Rob Marshall and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, talked about reigniting the Pirates films, being sure to get the screenplay right before going into production, working in 3D, and where they would like to see things go for Pirates 5 and 6. Depp and Bruckheimer also hinted at what audiences can expect from The Lone Ranger, in which Depp will play Tonto. Check out what they had to say after the jump.

While Disney hasn’t even shown a trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the studio is already planning to shoot the fifth and sixth installments in the franchise back-to-back.  According to Hitfix, the studio is “quietly telling cast and crew to set aside a major block of time in the very near future so they can shoot Pirates 5 and Pirates 6,” back-to-back.  For those who don’t know, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End were shot this way and despite their gargantuan budgets, they made an even bigger return.  The Pirates series has become one of Disney’s marquee franchises so it’s no surprise they’re already planning out the new sequels.

Hit the jump to learn about Johnny Depp’s schedule, which will likely dictate when these bad boys shoot.