The battle over his dogs has not stopped Johnny Depp​ signing up to a new film that would be shot in Australia.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star has joined Sydney animation studio Animal Logic for an adaptation of Neil Gaiman​ children's novel Fortunately, The Milk, about a father who goes to buy milk for his children's breakfast cereal only to be abducted by aliens, thrown into a time vortex, captured by pirates and befriended by a time travelling dinosaur.

It is being written by Bret McKenzie (The Muppets, Flight of the Conchords) and will be directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs the World) as a mix of live action and animation.

With Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil partnering with Animal Logic, the actor will play a role to be determined once the script is ready to shoot.

"There are a number of opportunities," says Animal Logic chief executive and producer Zareh Nalbandian. "Perhaps Johnny could be the father.

"He could also be the voice of one of the lead animated characters. Johnny really likes the book, which is one of the reasons we got together on this, but also he's such a versatile actor that he could a number of things on this film."

Nalbandian believes Depp's run-in with quarantine authorities over wife Amber Heard bringing terriers Boo and Pistol into the country while he shot Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales might not be an issue by the time the film shoots - possibly in 18 months.

"I haven't had that conversation with him and I think it's probably a bit of a sensitive issue right now," he says. "But people forget things over time.

"If Johnny's a voice on the movie, he doesn't even have to travel to Australia to provide that performance. If he's a lead actor, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

"But I know he'll get a lot of love from our company and I think NSW will welcome him into the state as a great actor bringing a lot of kudos in a movie. We'll see what happens."

With the case adjourned in a Queensland court until November 16, Heard faces three charges under the Australian Quarantine Act - two counts of illegal importation of an animal and one count of producing a false document.

The "Depp's Dogs" saga attracted worldwide headlines after the federal agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce threatened to euthanise them unless they were taken out of the country.

Animal Logic, which has had success with Happy Feet and The Lego Movie, optioned Fortunately, The Milk at manuscript stage after Gaiman spent a Saturday at the studio to meet the key creative team and discuss working together.

"When I read the manuscript, I thought this is the one for us," Nalbandian says. "It's a children's book, it's a great dad superhero story, it translates really well to animation and it's for a family audience, which is something that we're really focused on."

Fortunately, The Milk will slot into Animal Logic's slate around a busy schedule that has come with the success of The Lego Movie last year.

Not only is the studio shooting Lego Batman (due to be finished at Christmas next year) and Ninjago (due to be finished in the first half of 2017) but it will make three more Lego movies, including a sequel to the original hit, at its new Vancouver studio in Canada.

The studio is also developing movies based on Astro Boy and Betty Boop.