Snow White remake: when is Disney live action movie out - and who is in the cast with actress Rachel Zegler?

Peter Dinklage has criticised the production of the new Snow White And The Seven Dwarves film, calling it a ‘backwards story’
Rachel Zegler (top right) will star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, a story which Games of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (bottom right) has described as ‘f****** backwards’ (Images: Disney/Getty Images)Rachel Zegler (top right) will star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, a story which Games of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (bottom right) has described as ‘f****** backwards’ (Images: Disney/Getty Images)
Rachel Zegler (top right) will star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, a story which Games of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (bottom right) has described as ‘f****** backwards’ (Images: Disney/Getty Images)

Star Rachel Zegler will play Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the classic fairytale.

The US actress made her film debut in 2021, playing Maria in Steven Spielberg’s big-screen adaptation of West Side Story.

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But the film has caused some controversy, with one high-profile actor speaking out against Disney’s retelling of a “f****** backwards story”.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Snow White And The Seven Dwarves?

Snow White And The Seven Dwarves, released in 1937, was the first Disney animated feature film.

It tells the story of a princess fed a poisoned apple by her stepmother, placing her in a deep sleep from which she can only be awakened by a kiss from a prince.

Its original soundtrack includes the songs ‘Heigh-Ho’, ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ and ‘Whistle While You Work’.

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The live-action remake is expected to expand upon the story of the 1937 film, and include new songs.

Those new tunes will be written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a songwriting and composing duo who have won Academy Awards for their original songs, most notably La La Land’s ‘City of Stars’.

The film will be written by Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train, Secretary), and it has been reported that Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) worked on a recent draft on the film’s script.

Marc Webb, whose previous films include 500 Days of Summer and The Amazing Spider-Man, is set to direct.

Who stars in it?

Rachel Zegler (top right) will star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, a story which Games of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (bottom right) has described as ‘f****** backwards’ (Images: Disney/Getty Images)Rachel Zegler (top right) will star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, a story which Games of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (bottom right) has described as ‘f****** backwards’ (Images: Disney/Getty Images)
Rachel Zegler (top right) will star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, a story which Games of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (bottom right) has described as ‘f****** backwards’ (Images: Disney/Getty Images)
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Alongside Zegler as Snow White, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot will play the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action film.

The Israeli actress described the Evil Queen as an “iconic villain”, telling Entertainment Tonight: “Well, first of all, I’m excited about the fact that this is, like, an iconic character. I’m excited to create an iconic villain character in my own voice.

“I’m very, very, very excited and looking forward to playing the Evil Queen.”

Aside from the film’s two stars, no further casting details have been revealed.

What has Peter Dinklage said?

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Game Of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage has commented on the progressiveness of the entertainment industry ahead of the live-action production.

The star - currently appearing in the musical romance film Cyrano - called for people to “take a step” back with certain projects.

Speaking on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, he said: “I was a little taken aback by (the fact) they were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of Snow White And The Seven Dwarves.

“They were so proud of that, and all love and respect to the actress and the people who thought they were doing the right thing but I’m just like ‘what are you doing?’

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He continued: “You can be progressive in one way but you’re still making that f****** backwards story of the seven dwarves living in the cave.

“What the f*** are you doing man, have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox. I guess I’m not loud enough”.

Disney responded by saying it is “consulting with members of the dwarfism community” on the new film, and said it was taking guidance in order to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film”.

“We are taking a different approach with these seven characters,” a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”

When will it be released?

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There is currently no announced date for when the live-action Snow White might be released, and the film is still in the pre-production stage of development.

It is expected to begin filming in the UK in March 2022.

That would put the film in line for a possible late-2023 release, although nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing.

Is there a trailer?

Since the film is so early on in its development, there is currently no trailer for Snow White And The Seven Dwarves.

As soon as a teaser becomes available, we’ll update this article.

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