Amber Heard heading back to Australia to shoot Aquaman

Actress Amber Heard will return to Australia's Gold Coast to shoot upcoming blockbuster Aquaman, a year after she upset locals by smuggling her dogs into the country.

The Danish Girl star and her then-husband Johnny Depp came under fire from authorities Down Under in May, 2015, when it was discovered they had brought their two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, into the country without filling out the proper paperwork or going through official quarantine procedures.

They flew the dogs back to their home in the U.S. after top politician Barnaby Joyce, who held the post of Agriculture Minister at the time, threatened to put the dogs down if they remained in the country, where Depp was filming the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Amber was issued a court summons, but subsequently avoided conviction by reaching a plea deal, in which she pleaded guilty to one count of falsifying quarantine documents. As a result, two charges of illegal importation of an animal dropped.

As part of the agreement with prosecutors, the actress was also fined, while she and Johnny were forced to record a video apology for the Australian government.

Now, months after splitting from Depp, Amber is due to head back Down Under for her next film project, reports The Associated Press.

On Thursday (15Dec16), Australia's Treasurer Scott Morrison revealed Aquaman's producers had struck a $16 million deal with government officials to shoot the comic book adaptation at Village Roadshow Studios, near Gold Coast city.

He even invited Amber to bring her pets along for the trip - through the proper channels - telling reporters, "We will have a home for them if Amber would like to bring them on to the film set."

"Everyone knows the rules (about animal importation)," Morrison added. "Those rules apply to everybody as they did last time."

Amber has yet to comment on the news. She has been cast as Mera, Queen of Atlantis, opposite Game of Thrones hunk Jason Momoa. Willem Dafoe and Patrick Wilson will also be part of director James Wan's cast.

Production is slated to begin in Australia early next year (17), ahead of a planned release in October, 2018.