Snow White (2025 film)

Snow White
File:Snow White official logo.jpg Official logo
Directed by	Marc Webb
Screenplay by	Greta Gerwig Erin Cressida Wilson
Based on	Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Snow White by the Brothers Grimm
Produced by	Marc Platt
Starring	Rachel Zegler Gal Gadot
Cinematography	Mandy Walker
Edited by	Mark Sanger
Music by	Pasek & Paul (new songs)
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Marc Platt Productions
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	March 22, 2024 (2024-03-22)
Country	United States
Language	English

Snow White is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Marc Webb, from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Marc Platt Productions, it is a live-action remake of Walt Disney's 1937 animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which itself is loosely based on the 1812 fairy tale of the same title by the Brothers Grimm. The film stars Rachel Zegler as the title character and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, and has elicited criticism about the casting of non-little people as what were formerly dwarf characters, and the casting of a Latina as Snow White.

Plans for a remake of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were confirmed in October 2016, with Wilson announced as a screenwriter. Webb entered talks to direct the film in May 2019 and joined the film as director in September 2019. Filming took place primarily at Pinewood Studios, England from March to July of 2022.

Snow White is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on March 22, 2024.

Cast

• Rachel Zegler as Snow White
• Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen
• Ansu Kabia as Huntsman
• Martin Klebba as Grumpy
• Andrew Burnap as Jonathan (a new character for the film)
• Colin Michael Carmichael
• Katie Hardwick as Apple Farmer on Stilts
• Luisa Guerreiro as Artisan 3
• Eddison Burch as Dancer
• Dujona Gift as Maple
• Dean Nolan as Artisan 1
• Jon-Scott Clark as Dancer
• Kathryn Akin as Dancer
• Gabriela Garcia as Ochard Apple Picker and Finale Dancer
• Joshmaine Joseph as Guard Arthur
• Leon Ung as Dancer
• Charlie Man Evans as Dancer
• Misa Koide as Dancer
• Lukus Alexander as Dancer
• Candy Ma as Dancer
• Alison Eager as Queens Handmaiden Dancer
• Philip Birchall as Dancer
• Stanley Duventru-Huret as Dancer
• Charlotte Scally as Dancer / Orchard picker / Finale dancer
• Zoe Newton Kisly as Villager

Production

Development

Director Marc Webb (left) and screenwriters Greta Gerwig (middle) and Erin Cressida Wilson (right).

On October 31, 2016, Variety reported that Walt Disney Pictures was developing a live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, with Erin Cressida Wilson being in talks to write the screenplay. On May 30, 2019, it was reported that Marc Webb was in talks to direct the film. In November 2021, Greta Gerwig was reported to be co-writing the screenplay. Gurinder Chadha was also heavily considered for the job.

Casting

In June 2021, Rachel Zegler was cast in the titular role, and in November, Gal Gadot was cast as the Evil Queen. On December 7, 2021, during an interview with ExtraTV, Rachel Zegler revealed that Snow White would be a lot "stronger" than the original. A new casting search was announced for a young actress to star as a younger version of Snow White in the live-action remake. On January 12, 2022, it was announced that Andrew Burnap was cast as a new character named Jonathan in the lead male role, replacing the character of The Prince. At the 2022 Denver Fan Expo, Martin Klebba revealed that he would be portraying Grumpy in the film; Klebba previously played similar dwarf roles in prior productions based on the "Snow White" fairy tale: in the 2001 made-for-television film Snow White: The Fairest of Them All as Friday, and in the 2012 fantasy comedy Mirror Mirror as Butcher.

Snow White casting controversy

While appearing on Variety's Actors on Actors series with Andrew Garfield, Zegler opened up on the Snow White casting backlash. The young star recalled the casting announcement trending on Twitter for days due to the heated response to her landing the role, how she is looking to use this role and response for more positive means rather than let it get to her. She said:

Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me. You don't normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries. Blanca Nieves is a huge icon whether you're talking about the Disney cartoon or just different iterations and the Grimm fairy tale and all the stories that come with it. But you don't particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that. When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry. We need to love them in the right direction. At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I am really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess.

— Rachel Zegler

There have been another controversies; Zegler admited that she "hated" the original film and she has also been criticised for making Snow White "more feminist", with some fans calling it "woke". Some experts have said that this controversy can ruin the film.

Seven Dwarfs controversy

In January 2022, during an interview on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism and has played dwarfish characters in his career, commented on the upcoming live-action Snow White remake, dismissing it as a "backward story". He said:

Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but you are still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you are doing there. It makes no sense to me... You are progressive in one way, but then you are still making that fucking backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the fuck are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I am not loud enough. I don't know which studio that is, but they were so proud of it. All love and respect to the actress and all the people who thought they were doing the right thing. But I am just like, what are you doing?

— Peter Dinklage

In response to Dinklage's comments, Disney stated that "to avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community." Numerous other actors with dwarfism responded negatively to Dinklage's comments, feeling he was unduly speaking on their behalf and costing them roles.

In July 2023, footage of the production from Berkshire revealed that the depiction of the Seven Dwarfs had been reimagined for the film, consisting of only one actor with dwarfism along with six other non-dwarf actors of varying ethnicity, 6 males and 1 female portraying the associated set of seven individuals, who were originally all portrayed as supernatural beings from German folklore, not actual human beings. After initially denying reports that these images depicted the actual film production, Disney later confirmed that they did indeed depict the production, with stand-in actors substituting for the leads. The decision to reimagine the characters as such was criticised by mainstream and social media sources as being overly politically correct or "woke" as well as potentially taking away acting opportunities from the dwarfism community. Jackass actor Jason "Wee Man" Acuña criticised Disney for not casting dwarf actors and expressed disappointment about the changes. Wrestler/actor Dylan Postl also disagreed with Dinklage's view and stated in an interview with Piers Morgan:

There are actors, dwarf actors, that dream to be in a major motion picture such as this Disney remake. And now, because Peter Dinklage said what he said last year, now, it’s taken away. And it’s taken because of ‘progression.’ It’s not right because these are roles made for actors of my stature, roles that aren’t ever really given...I can’t go out for the Harrison Ford or the George Clooney roles because that’s not for me. These dwarf roles are for people of my stature and now it’s taken away. I don’t feel that’s right. And not only that, but now think about the additional stunt actors or body doubles or that. Now, you’re talking multiple actors of my statute that don’t get these major roles. And why? What’s the reasoning? Because we’re supposed to be progressive and just not view them as that? These are heroes. All of these dwarfs took care of Snow White. They all had characteristics, separate characteristics. They weren’t these cave dwelling monsters that people speak of. They all had seven different characteristics for seven different actors from my community...And I don’t feel it’s right that that got taken away from us.

— Dylan Postl

Filming

Filming for Snow White was originally set to begin in March 2020 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2021, it was announced that filming would take place in the United Kingdom from March to July 2022. Principal photography began on March 7, 2022. A fire damaged the production set on March 15 at Pinewood Studios; the stage was under construction when a tree reportedly caught on fire, leading to a huge blaze. A source from Disney confirmed that "no filming was underway". The shooting schedule was also reconfigured in order for Zegler to travel to Los Angeles to present at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, in support of her West Side Story colleagues. While Zegler was attending the ceremony, Gadot began filming her scenes. During a podcast interview with Forbes, Gadot revealed that she sings and dances in the film. On April 22, Gadot confirmed that she had completed filming her scenes, much later adding that playing the role of the first Disney villain ever was "fun and delicious", feeling that she was able to make a more dramatic role by changing her voice due to the film being a musical. On July 13, Zegler revealed that filming had wrapped.

Visual effects

Moving Picture Company provided the visual effects.

Music

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who previously wrote the lyrics for two new songs for Disney's 2019 remake of Aladdin, are set to write new songs for the film, which is expected to also feature songs from the original film by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey.

Marketing

On September 9, 2022, during Disney's 2022 D23 Expo presentation, a 30-second first-look teaser of the film as well as first-look images were previewed. There were quick flashes of several major settings, including Snow White's cottage in the woods, the intricately designed interior of the Queen's castle and the moss-covered forest. There were also short glimpses of Gadot as the Evil Queen questioning her magic mirror, Zegler as Snow White, and Snow White's hand falling with the poisoned apple toppling along with her. Gadot said about her role that playing the Evil Queen was "very different than what [she] had done before. [She is] used to playing the other end of where the heart should be", but she found it very "delightful" to "get under her skin". The title logo of the film was also revealed. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Zegler criticized the "jokes" that were being made about the film's modern updates, including her casting in the role of Snow White as a Latina, and addressed the film's approach, saying:

People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it's like, yeah, it is—because it needed that. It's an 85-year-old cartoon, and our version is a refreshing story about a young woman who has a function beyond "Someday My Prince Will Come."

— Rachel Zegler

Zegler later said of the changes from the original film:

I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her...Weird! Weird. We didn’t do that this time...We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie, Andrew Burnap, great dude. It’s one of those things that I think everyone’s going to have their assumptions about what it’s going to be, but it’s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful

— Rachel Zegler

Release

During the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, it was announced that Snow White would be released in 2024. On September 15, 2022, the film was announced to have a release date of March 22, 2024.

See also

• Snow White and the Huntsman
• Mirror Mirror

External links

• Snow White at IMDb