THE picturesque waters off Inverclyde are to feature in the latest instalment of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series - with some of the spectacular action scenes to be filmed locally.

The Tele can reveal that directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg were keen to use the area after visiting here on a secret fact-finding mission late last year with lead actor Johnny Depp.

It is estimated production of the movie could bring a £1m cash boost to the local economy.

It is hoped that the decision could showcase Inverclyde's beauty and promote the area as a possible film location to other Hollywood studios.

The Scottish Government had already looked at basing a national film studio in Inverclyde on the old IBM site, while the remake of Whisky Galore, starring Eddie Izzard, filmed a large portion of the movie in the Greenock Cut at Loch Thom.  

The film will be directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg from a script by Jeff Nathanson, with Jerry Bruckheimer serving again as producer.

The movie is scheduled to star Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Javier Bardem as the film's villain, Captain Salazar, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, as well as Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner, Kaya Scodelario as Carina Smyth, Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa.

Pre-production for the film started shortly before the fourth installment On Stranger Tides was released in early 2011, with writer Terry Rossio doing a script for the film.

In early 2013, Jeff Nathanson was hired to write a new script, with Depp being involved in Nathanson's writing process. Initially planned for a 2015 release, the film was delayed to 2016 and then to 2017, due to script and budget issues.

Camera crews are expected to arrive in Inverclyde over the next few months.

An insider said: "The directors love Scotland, and love the scenery.

"They thought Inverclyde would be perfect for some of the scenes, and the deep waters of the Clyde are ideal for sailing these massive ships.

"Everyone is looking forward to arriving, and I'm sure Johnny will be the star of the show."