Johnny Depp's Hand Injury Delays 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' Even Longer Than Expected

Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp in a ‘Pirates’ film / Disney

By Pip Bulbeck

Filming on Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is expected resume around April 15 on Australia’s Gold Coast after the production shut down for several weeks following star Johnny Depp’s return to the U.S. for hand surgery.

The delay was originally expected to cut into two weeks of filming after producers said there would be a “minimal impact” to the shoot. That break has now extended to at least four weeks after Depp needed a pin inserted in a finger, following an off set accident in early March.

Depp is reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth installment of the billion dollar-plus franchise, alongside Geoffrey Rush and Javier Bardem.

Related: Johnny Depp’s Career Crossroads: Actor Facing Third Box-Office Flop in a Row

A spokesman for the film told THR that resumption of filming depended on Depp’s recuperation. Filming continued on scenes without Depp after his departure on March 10.

But the delay means that under half the current crew of 400 working on the big-budget Disney feature, the largest ever to film in Australia, have been temporarily stood down, with all to resume when filming re-starts.

According to Fairfax Media reports, “about half of the film’s estimated 400 crew were told last Thursday there would be no more work for at least two weeks”.

Another 14 weeks of shooting remain on the film, with the release date still set at July 7, 2017.

Related: Johnny Depp Marries Amber Heard (Report)