Monkey business could delay Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Gold Coast shoot

The biggest movie ever to shoot in Australia could be delayed by weeks - all thanks to one little monkey.

"Jack", the primate offsider to Geoffrey Rush's Captain Hector Barbossa, is set to fall foul of Australia's strict quarantine laws before filming even starts on the Gold Coast early next year for the fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Under current regulations, any foreign animals entering the country will be subjected to intensive examination and placed in quarantine for a month.

Producers of the film have contacted Queensland Premier Campbell Newman to lobby for a one-time relaxation of the rules so Jack can take his place at Captain Barbossa's side along with series star Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow).

However, no decision on the issue has been forthcoming.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will be released in July 2017.

It will be the most expensive film to be shot in Australia, with the federal government putting $21.6 million towards the production.