Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? Well, in this case, Disney is.
Walt Disney Studios is back at it again with a new live-action remake. Only this time, fans aren’t getting a “Peter Pan” or “The Little Mermaid” remake. It’s perhaps even better.
According to IMDb, the upcoming film, “Snow White,” will be a live-action remake of Walt Disney’s 1937 animation classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The film will be about a lovely young princess who, under the watchful eye of an envious queen, seeks refuge in a cottage in a forest home to seven distinct dwarfs and must bravely confront the truth of her mother’s death.
The official release date of “Snow White,” according to IMDb, is set for March 22, 2024. However, it appears that some controversy arose after the movie’s cast was revealed. But is it really a Disney movie if there aren’t any issues?
One of the reasons there is controversy surrounding this movie is because of “West Side Story” actress Rachel Zegler, who will be playing Snow White.
The actress spoke candidly to Andrew Garfield about the viral controversy during their “Actors on Actors” interview for Variety. “Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me,” Zegler says. “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 asked about social media users’ complaints over the decision to choose a Latinx actress as the film’s protagonist, Zegler responded to Variety, “When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days because all of the people were angry.” Many tweets argued that Snow White’s skin has always been described as being as white as snow. The fans behind these tweets were angered by Disney’s choice to alter the beloved characters they grew up with.
“We need to love them in the right direction,” Zegler concludes the interview. “At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I’m really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess.”
I, for one, cannot wait to see Zegler in her new role!
In a statement to Deadline, director Marc Webb opened up about Rachel’s involvement in the movie. “Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts,” he stated. “Her strength, intelligence, and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”
The controversy regarding the movie doesn’t end there, though. During an episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Emmy Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage voiced his disapproval of the forthcoming movie’s utilization of dwarfs. He added, “Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they [Disney] were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Dinklage, born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism, added, “Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f*****g backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
Disney issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in response to Dinklage’s criticism of the upcoming live-action remake. “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. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
But who else should fans expect to see in the 2024 live-action adaptation of “Snow White?” For one, the Evil Queen will be played by “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot. But of course, fans are yearning to know who will play Snow’s prince. In this case, though, it seems that this new live-action film may not have either a prince or a huntsman, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Disney has cast Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, the male lead. However, rumors claim that Burnap will be singing and playing a brand-new male role in the movie.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?