Urban was in the right place at the right time when he picked up his role as the baddie in Disney's Pete's Dragon, after the original actor had to be replaced.

Director David Lowery has revealed that Urban's role as the villainous lumber mill worker was originally cast by Michael C Hall, who had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts.

When Hall, who rose to fame as the serial-killer-with-a-heart in Dexter, was unable to make the shoot, it was clear they needed to fill the part quickly, Lowery said.

ANDREW KELLY American actor Michael C Hall was originally intended to play Karl Urban's part in Pete's Dragon.

Urban, who had been filling his work schedule with the likes of Star Trek Beyond, happened to be in New Zealand at the time the crew required a new Gavin.

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DISNEY Karl Urban in Pete's Dragon as the saw mill worker who has it in for Elliot the dragon.

The Kiwi actor was not considered for the role originally because the character was meant to be a "weakling", Lowery said.

"He wasn't written to be a tough guy and Karl is a magnificent specimen of a man, he's very tall and handsome, and so we hadn't considered him for that reason," Lowery said.

"Suddenly, we had this part that needed to be filled and we were in New Zealand already and Karl happened to be here as well, so we thought, how we could refashion the part of fit him?"

Matt Klitscher Pete's Dragon was filmed in several locations in New Zealand including Wellington, Rotorua, and Tapanui.

Impressed by Urban's comical prowess in roles like Star Trek, Lowery said he bolstered up the comedy in the role, and allowed Urban to show off a bit more of his tough-guy side.

"It wound up being amazing, he wound up really sinking his teeth into it and playing a really wonderful version of a bad guy who's not really bad, he just makes some really unfortunate choices and does some things that are quite despicable.

"The great thing about Karl is that he makes a really good job of making sure his character never goes too far into the dark side, you are still kind of always rooting for him even though he does some awful things."

YOUTUBE Karl Urban in Pete's Dragon.

Urban is currently on the Gold Coast filming for the Taika Waititi-directed Thor:Ragnarok, in which he plays another villian, Skurge the Executioner.

Pete's Dragon releases in New Zealand cinemas on September 15.

The film also stars Bryce Dallas (Jurassic World), Robert Redford (A Walk in the Woods), and Wes Bently (The Hunger Games).