Has Pirates pulled out of Port?
Tuesday February 3 2015, 3:40pm
Rumours are running wild that the much-anticipated filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 will not take place in Port Douglas after all.
Announcements on the Newsport that Port Douglas could be a filming locale spurred streams of comments from overjoyed locals keen to be involved in the production, but these rumours would seem to put a dampener on celebrations.
Although there has been no official communication from The Walt Disney Studios on whether or not the town will be used as a filming location, industry insiders have hinted that producers may keep production limited to current locations on the Gold Coast.
Newsport has also learned that film crew had booked accommodation in multiple high-profile Douglas hotels, but the status of those bookings is currently unconfirmed.
Screen Queensland and Douglas Shire Council say they are still completely in the dark as to if Douglas will be used as a filming location.
Screen Queensland communications and marketing manager Angela Smaut said Disney was still finalising spots to shoot in.
“Port Douglas was one of a number of locations scouted and was initially identified as a location for the production,” Ms Smaut said.
“Locations are considered for a range of reasons including what is in the script, accessibility and facility and crew bases in the area and it is common that due to such factors including script changes or schedule changes that these locations may change.
“The film is still finalising locations, however we are not in a position to advise of the final list of locations at this stage.”
Douglas Shire Council mayor Julia Leu said despite council’s best efforts it had been unable to secure confirmation of Disney’s intentions.
“Unfortunately Council does not know if Pirates of the Caribbean 5 producers still intend to film parts of the movie around Port Douglas and has received no clarification on the issue from either Disney or Screen Queensland.
“We’ve spoken with Screen Queensland to get clarification on the situation several times in recent weeks and as recently as Friday afternoon but Screen Queensland informed us they have no idea either if Pirates producers still intend to film around Port Douglas.
“Council has worked hard with Disney representatives to identify potential locations, facilitate any planning requirements and basically provide any assistance required over many months last year.
“We’re more than willing and able to roll out the welcome mat to facilitate the production at short notice as the potential economic benefits for the Douglas region, in the short and long term, are substantial, and the hard work by Council staff to identify and prepare any potential sites has largely been done.
“I wish we could provide more information but we simply do not know at this stage.”
