Thaindian News

September 27, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): Peter Jackson has already started to go round with the objective of finalizing diminutive actors for the film ‘Hobbit’ in spite of not being given the official backing so far.

He has now issued an appeal to all actors who are short in stature, inviting them to come forward to play the role of the middle earth residents in a prequel of the “Lord Of Rings’ trilogy series. All actors above sixteen and between the height of four feet and five feet two and all actresses up to five feet have been asked to get in touch.

They would be taken in as ‘scale doubles’ which means they are likely to be seen in long shots or crowd scenes in order to enable the audience to gauge the contrast with the main actors mouthing the dialogues.

Wingnut films which is Jackson’s company has already released an advertisement in the Dominion Post newspaper seeking budding actors who are short in height. A spokesman for the company mentioned that the actors not meeting the required specifications would be turned away.

The ‘Hobbit’ has been stalled due to the financial problems faced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM, the studio which is on the brink of bankruptcy. The MGM currently has a debt amounting to $3.7 billion.

Guillermo Del Toro, the Mexican director had decided to quit in May when the delays dragged on for more than two years. The director of the hit series the’ Lord of The Rings’, Peter Jackson, is expected to take over.

Wingnut, is however, keen to initiate proceedings despite not getting the green signal as yet. They want to be prepared and are looking around Wellington for appropriate scale doubles said the company’s spokesperson.

Ian McKellen, likely to play the role of the wizard, Gandalf yet again said that the back to back shooting of two of the movies are likely to begin in January.