The best part of a new Snow White film may just be the Evil Queen who is being played on screen by the talented and undeniably beautiful Gal Gadot...yes Wonder Woman herself will take on the role of the villain in this next remake.
Playing the part of Snow White will be the talented Rachel Zegler whose film credits include the remake of West Side Story and last year's DC bomb Shazam: Fury of the Gods. The singer and songwriter will now step into the shoes of one of Disney's original princesses and social media isn't buying into it.
As we continue to see year in and out, moviegoers are tired of the Hollywood story rehashing instead of a new idea, thought, or concept. While The Little Mermaid did well enough at the box office, it didn't set records and drew far more attention to the choices the scriptwriters made and the director made. While Halle Bailey was applauded for her job as Ariel, many took issue with the internal changes of the film itself, and in the end, it couldn't recover from the comparisons of the original animated classic.
Now we are seeing yet another live-action film where the changes being made may not be what filmgoers want to see. Speaking with Variety, Zegler gave some insight on what Snow White is and how this film is being approached.
Rachel Zegler says her interpretation of #SnowWhite will bring the same character fans love, but with a modern edge and a questioning of what it truly means to be the fairest of them all. pic.twitter.com/2oat5vRx9X
— Variety (@Variety) September 9, 2022
Is there room for a modern-era Disney princess whose goal is leadership, strength, and finding out how to be a just and fair ruler? That is a far cry from the original Snow White plotline and that might be okay. In another interview, both Gadot and Zegler said there is no Prince rescuing Snow White.
The addition of Zegler as Snow White was met with mild controversy, the Latina actor didn't meet the criticism that Bailey had to endure but one person is taking huge issues with the casting of the Snow White film.
Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame has taken issue with Disney's portrayal of the 7 dwarfs. As Dinklage has said, it is, insert foul language here, "backwards" in Disney's approach to how they are handling the dwarfs for the film.
On one hand, Dinklage applauds Disney for casting a Latina in the role of Snow White and progressing the character but then slamming the film for still showcasing a group of dwarfs "living together in a cave" something he sees as being non-progressive. Making matters worse is the fact that the 7 dwarfs will not be played by dwarfs at all.
Disney released a statement regarding Dinklage's comments a while back and stated they have been consulting with the Dwarfism community regarding the project. "...with members of the dwarfism community" about how they'd take a "different approach with these seven characters" and "avoid reinforcing stereotypes"
Will this film succeed? It's hard to say because while some applaud the newer changes being made, many others still view it as not a true Snow White film and that could be problematic. Not so much for the fans of Snow White but for the box office success of a billion-dollar company that has seen its reign of "can't miss" hits come to a halt over the last couple of years. By the sounds of it, this new Snow White may not be the film that blows the lid off Disney's film production success and return it to its glory.
All that being said, Snow White is still my favorite princess so you can expect me to see it regardless of what the critics may be saying.