Disney picks Pirates of the Caribbean 5 directors

Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are reportedly in final negotiations to helm the next film in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series.

Should the pair agree to final terms, they'll be looking at a release date for the fifth film in the billion-dollar franchise of July 10, 2015.

Rønning and Sandberg directed the acclaimed 'Kon-Tiki', shot almost entirely on water – a fact that likely did their bid no harm – and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

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Jeff Nathanson, who penned 'Catch Me If You Can' for Steven Spielberg and co-wrote 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull', has already handed in a script.

Filming is set to start at the end of the year or early in 2014.

There's so far no clue as to whether some of the franchise's previous regulars like Keira Knightley or Geoffrey Rush will reprise roles, but Johnny Depp will be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow.

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While 'Kon-Tiki', a film about the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's expedition across the Pacific from South America to the Polynesian islands in 1947, did decent box office business for a foreign film, expectations on the pair will be high.

So far, the five films have grossed $3.5 billion worldwide, with three of them featuring in the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time.