Actors unions tell members to avoid new Hobbit movies

LONDON - Global actors’ unions have advised their members to avoid taking roles in the new Hobbit movies amid a row over pay.

Cate Blanchett, Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are among the stars who have been linked with the two big-budget ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequels.

But seven unions in the US, Australia, the UK and Canada said producers refused to negotiate a deal with them.

The New Line and MGM studios are financing the films, but did not comment on the issue.

The unions, under the umbrella of the International Federation of Actors (FIA), said performers in New Zealand had “struggled on non-union contracts” for some years.

Those contracts “provide no minimum guarantees of wages or working conditions”, no payment for future broadcasts and no cancellation payments, they said.

“The International Federation of Actors… resolved that the time had come for performers around the world to support their colleagues in New Zealand and seek a union contract for all performers on The Hobbit,” the BBC News quoted a statement as saying. (ANI)