Everything We Know About Disney's Live-Action Snow White Remake (2024)

The first Disney princess to come to screens is getting the live-action treatment. The classic character, Snow White, and her story will be portrayed by live actors instead of the animation it once was. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out in 1937 and became a hefty project for Walt Disney to complete, faced with negativity and opinions that didn't support the idea of a feature-length animation. But, had Disney chosen to accept defeat at every hurdle, he wouldn't have been in the position to make the film in the first place, so he went ahead with it.

Snow White revolutionized animation and became the starting point for an influx of similarly styled films to follow. The plot is based on the Brothers Grimm tale, depicting Snow White's escape from her wicked stepmother, who wanted her to be killed because of her beauty. Frightened, Snow runs into the forest with nowhere to go, until she finds a small cottage and is accompanied by the surrounding wildlife and a group of miners. Snow's life seems a little safer until the queen works out a way to go after her once again. While the film was popular, and still is, it's recognized as being problematic in its narrative. As Disney has moved with the times, it's become evident that earlier animations by the studio were very much of their day. Nevertheless, a remake is coming up with a few tweaks to bring the iconic fairy tale a little more up to date. Each time Disney remakes one of its animations, fans are eager to learn what's to come. Whether the original plot line will remain in place or who will be taking on the well-known roles, here's everything that's currently known about the live-action remake, Snow White.

A Teaser Trailer Has Been Released

A new teaser trailer has been released for Snow White, giving audiences a taste of what's to come. The clip is set to the famous tune from the original movie "Whistle While You Work," which Snow White sings a line of. Initially the teaser has an eerie feel to it. Snow White's hesitation and uncertainty is felt before she finds herself enjoying the company of her new friends. Then, of course, the evil queen is seen, reciting her commonly known phrase "Magic mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" The villain is embellished with sparkling, dark clothing, whilst Snow White's innocence is hinted at with her eye-catching blue and yellow dress. A clear image isn't shown of the seven dwarfs. Instead, their silhouettes are given a moment when they march their way across a fallen tree trunk. It also appears that the widely known scene of the queen disguising herself as an old woman and handing Snow White a poisonous apple to eat is still a key part of the story.

Overall, the teaser trailer supplies everything that could be hoped for. It looks as though the film is in keeping with the live-action remakes that have come before. The bright colors and inviting fantasy world are all there to be enjoyed. Reported in People, Rachel Zegler, who will be playing the titular lead, explained that they took a dive into the complex emotions that Snow White would've been going through. They've tried to modernize the character to make her suitable for today's audiences, without taking away the Disney essence. She's been made into a more independent princess, as well as slightly older. In the original animation, Snow White is 13 years old, but this time she's 18. Her story dictates her journey to becoming a leader, rather than waiting on the heroism of a man to come and save her. Seemingly, the reinvention hasn't affected much of what the original film was known for, with very familiar characters and songs making their way to the forefront of the movie.

Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot Are Starring Opposite Each Other

As previously mentioned, Zegler is taking the starring role as Snow White herself. The actor has come to be best known for her main role as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In 2021, she starred in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, and is due to be the voice of Princess Ellian in the animated movie Spellbound. Gal Gadot has taken the spot as the main antagonist of Snow White, portraying the calculated, evil queen. With over 35 credits in film and television, she has become a skilled performer embodying a range of characters. She has appeared in the Fast and Furious franchise several times as Gisele Yashar, and been a significant part of DC's superhero world, playing Wonder Woman. With an accomplished stage career, as well as in film and TV, Andrew Burnap is set to play Jonathan. Burnap had a role in 2018's The Chaperone, whilst also appearing in various television shows, including Under the Banner of Heaven. Playing Grumpy, Martin Klebba's filmography dates back to 2001. He is well known for playing the character Marty in The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as well as the likes of Jurassic World and Ted 2.

Directing the movie will be Marc Webb, embarking on his first Disney project. In film, he previously directed 500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man (both the first and second,) Gifted, and The Only Boy Living in New York. While his film credits is a short list, he has been involved with far more TV work and music videos. Webb directed an episode of The Office, "The Manager and the Salesman." Various other shows came his way, as well as two episodes of Why Women Kill, entitled "Murder Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry" and "I'd Liked To Kill Ya But I Just Washed My Hair." His extensive career in music videos has led him to work with singers and bands such as Anastacia, Maroon 5, Green Day and Miley Cyrus. Evidently, he's not short of creative flair, and with a thrilling cast to work with, it undoubtedly will be a great combination.

The Script Is in Good Hands

For the story to be brought into a live-action setting, whilst making sure it's still recognizable as the classic tale, the script has to be crafted with skill. The adaptation has been co-written by two incredible creators, Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson. Gerwig has some incredible films to her name, including Lady Bird, Little Women, and, most recently, Barbie. Wilson is also an accomplished writer, having written Chloe and, perhaps most famously, The Girl on the Train. It's pretty much a dead cert that the film will have been written beautifully, with every element necessary to make it another addition to the ever-growing line of wonderful live-action Disney movies. The music is also being taken care of, as Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have been hired to write the songs. The two are best known for working as composers on the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen, and as lyricists on the movie La La Land. Judging from the teaser trailer, old songs from the previous movie will be kept in, as well as new tunes.

It looks as though the Snow White remake has a lot of talented people on board, using their outstanding talents to create something special. With each live-action Disney remake that's a great success, comes more pressure for the next to live up to the high quality. But fans needn't worry. What's truly exciting is to see how the story will be modified to fit today's audiences and standards that weren't adhered to in the 1930s. The live-action format will add a layer of realism, and bring the characters to life for fans that enjoy the tale. It's also a nice way to be reminded of a film from childhood, for those that might not have revisited the movie in some time. As with every Disney remake, fans will be itching to see what the production team have come up with, and how the actors are portraying the characters. The release date was originally going to be March of this year, but has been pushed back to to March 21, 2025, so there's plenty of time for viewers to remind themselves of the old movie and get ready for the next.

Snow White

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

Snow White is a live-action adaptation of the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Directed by Marc Webb, this newest iteration of the iconic character stars Rachel Zegler as Snow White alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.

Director

Marc Webb

Release Date

May 22, 2024

Cast

Gal Gadot , Rachel Zegler , Andrew Burnap , Ansu Kabia

Writers

Greta Gerwig , Erin Cressida Wilson

Main Genre

Adventure