Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Hobbit actor Dean O’Gorman to star alongside Bryan Cranston in Trumbo biopic

He will play Kirk Douglas, who helped out the blacklisted screenwriter

Antonia Molloy
Tuesday 23 September 2014 17:04 BST
Comments
O'Gorman plays Fili the dwarf in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit adaptations
O'Gorman plays Fili the dwarf in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit adaptations (AFP/Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Dean O’Gorman is to star as Kirk Douglas in a forthcoming Dalton Trumbo biopic.

The Hobbit actor, who plays Fili the dwarf in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, will take on the role alongside Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston as the lead, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dalton Trumbo was a successful American screenwriter and one of the Hollywood 10, but he was blacklisted during Hollywood’s golden age for being a communist.

Douglas starred in the 1960 Spartacus and was also one of the film’s executive producers. He influenced the decision to hire Trumbo to write the screenplay and his praise of the writer is said to have been a key factor in alleviating the power of the Blacklist.

Trumbo is being directed by Jay Roach, who is best known for Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, with John McNamara writing the script.

The cast also includes David James Elliott as actor John Wayne, Helen Mirren as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and Elle Fanning as Trumbo’s daughter Nikola.

O’Gorman will appear in the final instalment of The Hobbit in December. He has reprised his role as Fili in The Battle of Five Armies. The actor has also played Anders in The Almighty Johnsons.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in