Saturday, June 25, 2011

NEW SWATH CASTING CALL ANNOUNCED: LORD OF THE RINGS INSPIRATION?




(New Line Cinema)



Hidden in a London newspaper, a SWATH casting call for dwarfs was announced yesterday and it went unnoticed or ignored by the standard entertainment news outlets.

This casting call appears to be in relation to the all-important "dwarf special effects" and maybe even something more. Warwick Davis best known for his roles in Harry Potter as 'Professor Flitwick' and 'Griphook' and as the ewok 'Wicket' in the Star Wars movies, told The London Evening Standard that "This is a great opportunity for shorter actors. It is something that can make a career and change someone's life."

No, this story does not have the sex appeal of the casting of an Ian McShane, however this casting call gives us some insights into the production of SWATH and maybe even a clue as to what shape the film will take.  Based on producer Palak Patel's tweet yesterday, he is not going to try to reveal too much to the fans in order to maintain some surprises and most likely not to provide any information to Relativity as well.  This is a business after all.

In the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, there were "stand-ins" for the lead actors who reflected the appropriate height of what was considered to be a hobbit or a dwarf.  When the scene required a "wide shot" or a shot to show the contrasts in height with taller actors, the shorter actors replaced the leads and it worked. No additional special effects were required.

But why such a massive casting call for shorter actors on different continents around the world when there are only seven dwarfs? Could it be for a major "war scene" that utilizes a large number of the shorter actors. "Caesar" is the dwarf leader and leading more than seven seems logical.  

In addition to the dwarf casting, Universal is also looking for "handsome" 6 feet tall actors as well.

This movie just gets better as the days go along.

The London Evening Standard reported the following: 

"A London casting company has launched a global hunt for men who are under 4ft 6in to appear alongside the 5ft 9½in actress in a new film.

Universal, the studio making Snow White And The Huntsman, is looking for up to 10 "vertically challenged" actors to take the part of the dwarfs in the remake of the traditional fairytale.

The brief is so specialised they are searching the globe to find the right candidates with applications from as far away as New Zealand and Australia. Producers are not looking simply for professional actors but it will help if applicants can ride a horse.

Sarah Dickinson, director of the Casting Collective, said: "Anyone of the right height will be considered as long as they are fit and able. This is an unusual opportunity for people to come forward. We will be looking for handsome 6ft men as extras as well so no one is left out."

Read the rest here.


Special thanks to @Gossipgyal and CheerMom for the article.
 

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