Photo: Roy Billing as Chief Dufflepud

IMDb has posted a picture of Roy Billing in costume as the Chief Dufflepud. He is standing on the “magician’s garden” set we have already seen pictures of:

The production has asked us to remove the photo and we have complied.

The Dufflepuds are one of the most memorable parts of the book, but they will likely be challenging to visualize for the screen. We don’t know much about how they will be achieved. Will they be entirely computer-generated? Or half CG, half makeup (e.g. Tumnus)? All we know is that green screen tests were shot during pre-production. This picture seems to suggest that at least their upper body will be filmed on set, but it may also be that Billings just wore this to interact with the actors on set and will eventually be replaced with a fully computer-generated character.

Another issue is the character’s height. According to the book, the Dufflepuds are about dwarf-sized, but Billings is certainly not. Will they find ways to make him appear shorter, like the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings?

Thanks to Grant for the find!