Young stars for fantasy film to be filmed in NZ

Two young actors with Hollywood credentials will star in a fantasy movie which starts production in New Zealand within the next month.

Bridge to Terabithia, based on the popular novel by Katherine Paterson, will star Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb, says the Variety website.
Hutcherson is set to play Jess, an 11-year-old boy whose life is changed when he meets Leslie (Robb), a tomboy who has become the class outsider.

Together they create the world of Terabithia, an imaginary kingdom filled with giants, trolls and other beings.

Hutcherson, 13, is on New Zealand screens now in the space fantasy film Zarathura, and Robb, 12, played Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Reports suggest Walt Disney and Walden Media want to begin filming this month. The same companies made The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

- NZPA