Not to be outdone by the day's other wild directing rumors, Disney sources have ventured Chicago and Nine helmer Rob Marshall as the leading candidate to direct their fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film. The studio is said to be close to a deal -- but how close is "close"?
Close enough, Variety reports, "that the studio has begun casting new characters that will appear in the picture. [...] Sources say unless things break down at the last moment, Marshall will be steering the pirate vehicle's next installment." It's an interesting change of direction for both parties -- especially Disney, who lost the reliably bankable (to the tune of more than $2.5 billion globally) crowd-pleaser Gore Verbinski to Bioshocka while back before turning to Marshall, a Best Picture-caliber director whose lone venture away from musicals (the 2005 spectacle Memoirs of a Geisha) failed to impress at the box office or during awards season. Moreover, had POTC producer Jerry Bruckheimer even heard of Marshall before these negotiations? Was Stephen Daldry not available?
ยท MARSHALL STEERING DISNEY'S PIRATE SHIP? [BFDealMemo]