The Walt Disney Company Releases First Look At Rachel Zegler’s ‘Snow White,’ Delays Film’s Release An Entire Year
John F. Trent
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The Walt Disney Company released a first look at Rachel Zegler’s upcoming Snow White film while also revealing that the movie will be delayed an entire year.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 09: (L-R) Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler speak onstage D23 Expo 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on September 09, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
The Hollywood Reporter notes that Disney pushed back Snow White from its original release date of March 22, 2024 to March 21, 2025.
The outlet alleges the delay is due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 09: (L-R) Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot attend D23 Expo 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on September 09, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
However, The Walt Disney Company also released a first look at Rachel Zegler alongside what appears to be seven dwarfs. Given the appearance of the dwarfs, it’s possible the film will undergo significant reshoots once the strike is ended.
First look at Rachel Zegler as Snow White as Disney pushes film back a year to March 21, 2025.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter pic.twitter.com/Y8dPwv7nSy
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The idea that the movie might undergo significant reshoots and thus might be the true reason for the delay is because The Daily Mail previously published images from the set of Snow White showing a number of actors that looked nothing like the dwarfs in this first look image.
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Following images of these actors being published by The Daily Mail, a Disney spokesman told The Daily Beast the images were not from the Snow White production, “The photos are fake and not from our production. We are currently trying to have the Daily Mail issue a correction.”
The Daily Mail would update their story, but made it clear the photos were not fake and were indeed from Disney’s production. An update on the article stated, “This article has been amended since initial publication to correctly identify the actress portraying Snow White as an extra who stood in for post-production photography. Disney confirm[ed] that stand-ins were used for both Rachel Zegler and Andrew Burnap in these images. We are happy to clarify this point.”
Following The Daily Mail’s update, a Disney spokesman informed The Independent, “The images that ran [in the Daily Mail] are not official film photos. These show stand-ins for some talent and do not feature Rachel Zegler or Andrew Burnap.”
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 09: Rachel Zegler attends D23 Expo 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on September 09, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
A Disney spokesman had also previously addressed criticisms levied at the film from actor Peter Dinklage.
Dinklage lampooned the film during an appearance on WTF with Marc Maron where he said, “Well, you know, it’s really progressive to cast a— literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback by — they’re very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. But you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs so.”
He continued, “Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. Because you’re progressive in one way but you’re still making that f*****g backward story of the seven dwarfs living in a cave. What the f*** are you doing, man?”
Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Photo Credit: Murray Close
“Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough,” he opined.
He then concluded, “I don’t know what studio that is. But they were so proud of that. And all love and respect to the actress and to the people who thought they were doing the right thing, but I’m just like, ‘What are you doing?’”
Later in the podcast, Dinklage added, “If you tell the story of Snow White and it’s [the] most f***ed up cool, progressive spin on it? Let’s do it. All in. But I just don’t know.”
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones (2019), HBO
A Disney spokesman responded to Dinklage’s comments telling The Hollywood Reporter, “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,” the spokesman added.
On top of this The Hollywood Reporter did damage control for Disney claiming, “The film has been in development for three years; the studio has been reimagining the dwarf characters since the earliest stages.”
The Seven Dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The Walt Disney Company
The film has also come under heavy criticism following numerous comments about how it is diverging from Disney’s original animated movie by Rachel Zegler.
The actress has routinely been criticized for her comments describing the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animated film as dated, disparaging the Prince as a stalker, and taking issue with the film’s love story.
Not only that, but she’s revealed the upcoming live-action film is changing the definition of fair, appears to remove the entire moral lesson on vanity, and will instead be some kind of story about Snow White’s inner struggle and her desire to be a good leader.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney
She revealed to Extra TV her thoughts about the Prince, “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. So we didn’t do that this time.”
RELATED: Initial Costs For Rachel Zegler’s ‘Snow White’ Film Are Already Shockingly High
When asked if the prince would even be in the film, Zegler answered, “We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because like we cast a guy in the movie, Andrew Burnap, great dude.”
She continued, “It’s one of those things that I think everyone’s going to have their assumptions about what it’s actually going to be, but it’s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful. And whether or not she finds love along the way is anybody’s guess until 2024. All of Andrew’s scenes could get. Who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!”
Zegler then revealed what the film is really about, “It’s an inner journey that she goes on to find her true self. And she meets a lot of people along the way that make the journey really incredible.”
Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino and Rachel Zegler as Maria in 20th Century Studios’ WEST SIDE STORY. Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2021 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
She made similar comments to Variety when asked why she described the movie as having a “modern edge.” She said, “I just mean it’s no longer 1937, and we absolutely wrote a Snow White–”
Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen in the upcoming live-action adaptation, interjected, “–She’s not gonna be saved by the prince.”
Zegler then affirmed, “She’s not gonna be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love.”
Zegler elaborated, “She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be. The leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, brave, and true.”
“And so it’s just a really incredible story for, I think, young people everywhere to see themselves in,” she concluded.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Zegler also revealed that the film is also changing the definition of “fair” for the film. The original animated film made it clear the term referred to beauty and was providing a lesson vanity.
This will no longer be the definition for Zegler’s live-action movie.
She explained, “The reality is that the cartoon was made 85 years ago and therefore it’s extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman is fit for in the world. And so when we came to reimagining the actual role of Snow White it became about the fairest of them all meaning who is the most just. And who can become a fantastic leader.”
Zegler continued, “And the reality is, you know, Snow White has to learn a lot of lessons about coming into her own power before she can come into power over a kingdom.”
Gadot added, “Also the fact that she’s not going to be saved by The Prince and she’s the proactive one and she’s the one who set the terms is what makes it so relevant to where we are today.”
Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler promote the live-action Snow White film at the D23 Expo
What do you make of this first look at Snow White and Disney’s decision to delay the film a year?
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