Pirates of the Caribbean bosses face monkeys delay

Producers of the next Pirates Of The Caribbean movie are facing the prospect of having to rework plans to shoot scenes with monkeys in Australia after a bid to short-cut regulations was shot down.

The fifth installment in the swashbuckling franchise, titled Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, is due to start shooting Down Under in February (15).

Bosses want to use capuchin monkeys for some scenes and were told on Thursday (11Dec14) by Queensland Premier Campbell Newman that he would cut any red tape to ensure a smooth shooting schedule for the Johnny Depp film.

However, it appears officials are not prepared to fast-track the paperwork, with the Department of Agriculture insisting producers still need to meet tough Commonwealth rules on using the monkeys before they will be allowed into the country, reports the Sydney Daily Telegraph.