Marc Webb(The Amazing Spider-Man) is in talks to direct a live-actionSnow Whitemovie for Disney, reportsVariety. A representative for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Erin Cressida Wilson(The Girl on the Train) is writing the script, which will expand upon the story and music from the 1938 animated classic.Benj PasekandJustin Paulwill head “off to work” and write new songs for the movie, which will be produced byMarc Platt. Pasek and Paul previously partnered with Platt (now there’s a tongue-twister) on bothLa La Landand the acclaimed stage musicalDear Evan Hansen. They also wrote the songs for the hitHugh JackmanmusicalThe Greatest Showman.
Disney has been burning through its storied animation catalog of late, asSnow Whitewill arrive on the heels of this year’s releasesDumbo,AladdinandThe Lion King, for whichnew character posterswere just unveiled. Of course,Snow Whiteis in the public domain, which is why we’ve seen several recent adaptations of the famedBrothers Grimmfairy tale, such as 2012’sMirror MirrorstarringLily Collins, and Universal’sKristen StewartvehicleSnow White and the Huntsman, which arrived three months later and spawned an even more forgettable sequel. Clearly, Wilson and Webb will have their work cut out for them in freshening up this oft-told tale.
While Disney could easily remake its classic animated films every generation or so, I’d caution the studio against burning through its entire library. The studio should, in my opinion, wait until someone delivers a fresh spin on these stories, rather than settle for beat-for-beat remakes that often fail to capture the magic of the original – even with a brand new song wedged somewhere in there. Part of me thinks, ‘Maybe you just loved those animated Disney movies because you were a wide-eyed kid, and now you think these live-action remakes are soulless cash-grabs because you’re a cynical adult.’ But the other part of me recognizes that something is being lost in translation. As long as that something isn’t money, I don’t think Disney minds. The fact thatAladdinopened to $116 million in the U.S. over the holiday weekend despite a cool reception from critics no doubt emboldens the studio’s strategy.
Best known for directing the twoAmazing Spider-Manmovies starringAndrew Garfield, Webb made a name for himself with his inventive anti-rom-com(500) Days of Summer. Given Webb’s experience with big-budget, effects-driven films, he certainly fits the mold in terms of the kinds of directors Disney has hired for its live-action remakes – thinkJon Favreau,Tim Burton,Guy Ritchie. Of course, Webb’s more recent credits have been smaller films such as Fox Searchlight’sGiftedstarringChris Evans, andThe Only Living Boy in New York. Webb is represented by CAA.
For a list of all the upcoming live-action Disney remakes in the works,click here.
