Ian McShane Cast As A Dwarf in 'Snow White and the Huntsman'

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to Snow White and Huntsman that Ian McShane will go.

The actor, currently seen on screen as Blackbeard in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, has signed to play one of the dwarfs in Universal’s Snow White adventure movie.

The project, being directed by Rupert Sanders, is a revisionist take on the fairy tale and features Snow White (Kristen Stewart) as a princess who escapes her evil stepmother (Charlize Theron) with the help of a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who was to have killed her but now trains the princess to survive and fight back.

The movie is on track for an August production start. Universal will release the film in theaters June 1, 2012.

McShane will play Caesar, the leader of the dwarfs. Universal is in the process of casting the rest of his crew. With Universal and Relativity Media racing separate Snow White projects into theaters next year (Relativity's untitled project also is ramping up production and is currently set to hit theaters in March), there could be serious competition to find strong character actors to fill the roles.

McShane, repped by ICM, Gallant Management, and attorney Mark Wetzstein, is currently shooting Bryan Singer and New Line’s Jack the Giant Killer, in which he plays a benevolent king.

Dwarfs:
Caesar: the eldest, with the longest beard.
Nero: the angry one.
Tiberius: the biggest and burliest.
Hadrian and Trajan: the twins.
Constantine: solemn and blind.
Claudius: the timid one.
Gus: young, unbearded, seemingly smitten with Snow White.

sources hollywoodreporter slashfilm via @KstewAngel