There was a brief moment when I was excited to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, mostly because of Deadwood star Ian McShane‘s involvement as our villain Blackbeard. When it came time to see Rob Marshall‘s blockbuster, it was quite disappointing to see the actor on autopilot. It looks like he couldn’t get enough of that sweet cash though, and has now signed on to another big tentpole.
THR reports that the actor is the first dwarf to be cast in Universal’s Snow White and Huntsman. Directed by Rupert Sanders, McShane joins Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. Taking a revisionist twist on the famous fable, Snow White is “a princess who escapes her evil stepmother with the help of a huntsman who was to have killed her but now trains the princess to survive and fight back.” McShane plays Caeser, “the leader of the dwarfs.”
Much has been publicized about the dueling projects, with Relativity’s project just going into a production (and the first image out). Their film is directed by Tarsem and stars Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, and Lilly Collins. For those that can’t get enough
Snow White and Huntsman begins production this August for a June 1st, 2012 release. McShane will be seen two weeks later in Bryan Singer‘s Jack the Giant Killer.
Are you happy McShane is continuing on the blockbuster path or would you like him to take on more exciting projects?