Tim Burton, Sam Raimi Directors Of Interest For Fifth 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'

Another day passes, and further proof arises that critics mean essentially nothing in Hollywood.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" has been getting drubbed by critics, to the tune of a 33% fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com. That could be called "bad news," except that the movie grossed $690 million in its first 12 days of release. That already has Disney putting the franchise on a drive for five, ">CinemaBlend reports.

It also has the House of Mouse tapping some heavy-hitting directors, in case "On Stranger Tides" director Rob Marshall opts out of another movie. Imagine, if you will, a "Pirates" film helmed by the wild imagination of Tim Burton, already a Disney favorite as producer of "A Nighmare Before Christmas" and director of the box office-smashing live-action "Alice In Wonderland," which starred long-time Burton muse and face of the "Pirates" franchise Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

Also in the running is horror and action director Sam Raimi. Directing the "Evil Dead" trilogy guaranteed Raimi a cult following, but nothing he's done has cemented his status as a bankable director quite like his reception for the first two of Sony's "Spider-Man" trilogy. In recent years, Raimi has also kept busy in horror with "The Grudge," his take on Japan's successful and scary "Ju-on: The Grudge" franchise, and others like "Drag Me To Hell" and the "Evil Dead" remake/sequel that's languished in Development Hell for years.

Either could provide interesting takes on Captain Jack Sparrow. But it's not like there's no competition, either. Shawn Levy is also in consideration, after his success directing the family-friendly Ben Stiller romp "A Night At The Museum." Chris Weitz of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" fame is also being considered, as well as one-time "Harry Potter" director Alfonso Cuaron.

Equally importantly, Depp has said that he's open to returning for more high-seas adventures, but would rather Disney space shooting out so as to avoid another endurance trial like shooting the sequels "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" back-to-back.