Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Confirmed for a Queensland, Australia Shoot

Federal Minister for the Arts, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Queensland Minister for the Arts Ian Walker today revealed that The Walt Disney Studios has decided to film Pirates of the Caribbean 5 in Queensland, Australia.

"The Australian Government is delighted to have secured high-profile movie franchise Pirates of the Caribbean to film in Australia with a contribution of $21.6 million," Senator Brandis said. "As a Queensland Senator, I am particularly delighted to have been able to approve this proposal which will be Australia's largest ever contribution to the financing of a major film. The fifth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will be the largest international feature film ever to shoot in Australia and will focus the world's attention on Australia as a leading film destination. Our investment in attracting the film to Australia will result in substantial benefits for the screen industry and economy."

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said the Disney film would bring in about $100 million to Queensland and create thousands of local jobs. "Queensland leads Australia in attracting international film productions in the past financial year and this project is another boost to the screen industry. We're delighted to welcome Disney for filming and we're incredibly proud to showcase Queensland to the rest of the world."

Queensland Arts Minister Ian Walker said a united effort between the Australian and State governments put a strong creative and financial argument in place which ensured Queensland was the most attractive commercial option.

"The last major productions to film here were San Andreas, which employed more than 3,000 Queensland crew, cast, contractors and extras and Angelina Jolie's Unbroken, which employed about 3,180 locals," Mr. Walker said. "This fifth Pirates of the Caribbean production is a bigger film in terms of expenditure than either of those big budget films, so the economic benefits to the state will be powerful."

Walker said pre-production would start early this month with principal photography anticipated to begin in February next year. The film will also be shooting at the Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.

The fifth installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg. The film is slated to be released in theaters on July 7, 2017.

Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow appears to have found a new foe. TheWrap reports that Javier Bardem is in talks to play Captain Brand, the chief antagonist of Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

The film, which is set for a Queensland, Australia production, follows the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and is likely to feature the return of Penelope Cruz (Bardem's real-life wife) as Angelica. Previous reports have also hinted that Orlando Bloom's Will Turner might also be returning to the franchise.

No stranger to playing franchise villains, Bardem went toe-to-toe with James Bond in Sam Mendes' Skyfall in 2013 and, not long before that, took home an Academy Award for his role in Ethan and Joel Coen's No Country for Old Men. He can soon be seen in The Gunman, starring opposite Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance and Jasmine Trinca when the action thriller hits theaters February 20, 2015.

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg. The film is slated to be released in theaters on July 7, 2017.