The film, reportedly titled Dead Men Tell No Tales, will be shot at the Village Roadshow studios on the Gold Coast, making use of its high-quality soundstages and three water tanks.

But it will also film on location in far north Queensland. Port Douglas has been confirmed, with scouts finalising more places "north of Mackay".

No details about plot and characters have been released, beyond that Johnny Depp , Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom are all likely to return as pirates Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Will Turner.

But given that pirate movies usually include a number of fundamentals, it's fun to speculate.

Here are 10 locations that could suit a swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean story.

Setting the scene

The aqua-marine glory of the Great Barrier Reef would make a stunning backdrop for an opening sequence in shallow waters.

Viewers will be reintroduced to Captain Jack Sparrow, possibly in charge of his own destiny, or more likely, caught up in a scrape he will cleverly escape.

Four Mile Beach at Port Douglas has pearly white sand just perfect for pulling your bedraggled body onto, and celebrating with a yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

A house of power

Bowen locals would be overjoyed to welcome another blockbuster to their sleepy town, which last saw screen time standing in for Darwin in Baz Luhrmann's Australia.

Its classical white post office would make a fine governor's mansion in Port Royal, the Jamaican capital seen in previous Pirates instalments.

The building could also stand in as a plantation manor, if scriptwriters wanted to create a rich but cruel villain connected to the lucrative but barbaric slave trade.

Transporting African slaves to the West Indies was a massive international operation in the mid-1700s, when Pirates of the Caribbean is set. A profiteer would definitely want to show off his wealth, or concoct evil plans, in opulent surroundings.

Tortuga

The free port of Tortuga has featured heavily in the Pirates franchise. Run by brigands and overrun with bars and brothels, it's a place where illegal deals are done and suitable shipmates for an adventure/scam/treasure hunt are found.

The Iron Bar Steakhouse and Restaurant in downtown Port Douglas is a charming three-tiered pub featuring rusted corrugated iron balcony railings. Cover up the power lines, replace any trendy furniture with wooden benches and tables and voila: a sensational gin joint suitable for boozing and wenching the warm nights away.

Lost in the jungle

Lush, sticky and brilliant green, the Daintree rainforest was no doubt one of the big carrots dangled in front of producers.

Whether someone's missing in the jungle, someone's trying to escape the jungle, or something strange is hiding in the jungle, you can bet Pirates characters will be making a leafy pilgrimage at some point.

Warning: producers might want to hire a personal assistant to follow Johnny Depp around constantly reapplying layers of insect repellent. We'd hate him to fall victim to dengue fever.

A mysterious hideout

The quirky beauty of Paronella Park seems tailor-made for a Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Spanish-born cane farmer Jose Paronella built his castle and fountains in 13 acres of virgin scrub along Mena Creek, southwest of Innisfail, as public pleasure gardens and a reception centre.

It would work perfectly as a lost city full of treasure, or the home of a charismatic guru who could help Captain Jack along his way.

A chase and a terrifying fall

No doubt Captain Jack will spend time running away from enemies, possibly with treasure or a valuable or magical totem in hand.

He may follow a creek on foot or by small boat in an effort to get back to the sea: the staggering sight of Barron Falls outside Cairns will prove a very risky escape route.

Of course it's actually impossible for anyone to be killed by plunging through water in the movies – see The Fugitive, The African Queen, Indiana Jones or a James Bond flick for proof.

A surreal encounter

It might be a challenge for the film's logistics team, but the magnetic termite mounds of Cape York would pay off royally if the script needed a strange and other-worldly setting.

The Iron Range National Park has dozens of the looming ochre structures, built as ventilation shafts for the termites' nests.

It could be the location for a mystical ceremony or ritual, or perhaps the scene for a bleak dream sequence.

Race to the end

A pirate movie has to to have a dramatic chase and/or battle on the high seas, but that will probably be shot in the safety of the studio water tanks.

But producers could do far worse for overlay shots and imposing scenic vision that Hinchinbrook Island, east of Cardwell. It has inlets for nautical pursuits, calm harbours, lush forests and the Hinchinbrook Granite, a 16km-long pluton rising up over the east of the island.

Cyclone Yasi left much of the island's developed areas in tatters; hundreds of cast and crew descending for even a few weeks would be a major boost to recovery.

Final confrontation

The Capricorn Caves just north of Rockhampton are a popular tourist attraction, meaning producers would have easy access to extras should they need lackeys, swabbies, jack-tars, limeys or even monkeys (if they put all the child visitors in hairy suits).

They also provide an abundance of magnificent natural rock formations both above and under the ground, great for hideouts, secret chambers, or indeed, just caves.

A happy ending?

St Mary's-by-the-Sea chapel in Port Douglas is a simple but beautiful white wooden structure set on a jutting outcrop with the blue Pacific behind it.

Set dressers wouldn't have to do much to make it era-appropriate; they'd just need to keep out nosy couples investigating a chic destination wedding.