With the huge financial success that was Tim Burton’s twisted take on Alice in Wonderland, studios have been clamoring to revamp classic tales with similar outcomes. Whimsical neo-noir writer Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) is in development on Pinocchio. The Nutcracker is headed to theaters in the fall with rat-faced villains and 3D to add punch. Warner Brothers is working on a dark Little Red Riding Hood reboot. Disney’s got a project in development for Sleeping Beauty’s aptly named villain Maleficent, not mention a Cinderella revamp. And coming soon: dueling Snow Whites.
Heat Vision reports Joe Roth, a producer on Alice in Wonderland, is currently seeking studio backing for Snow White and the Huntsman, a new take on the fairytale that will be penned by Evan Daugherty, who garnered buzz for his Shrapnel spec script, and directed by Rupert Sanders, who is best known for his work in commercials. One studio will be skipped as they make the rounds, because Disney has a Snow White of its own in the works, titled Snow and the Seven.
Titles alone suggest a different focus in each film, however, in both, Snow White will be far more active than the fair-skinned waif of yesteryear. According to the New York Times, Snow and the Seven “follows a 19th century British girl who’s trained by seven monks to be the savior in a cataclysmic fight between good and evil.” An alternate title is Snow White and the Seven Shaolin, so expect some martial arts action and no more passive princesses.
Roth’s Snow White feature will focus more on the Huntsman, who in the old tale was charged with killing the pale princess, but took pity on her instead sending her terrified into the woods. In Snow White and the Huntsman, he will be a mentor – not a love interest, the prince will still take on that role. The Huntsman will instead teach the banished princess how to fight back and survive, as the two will be bound together (literally then metaphorically) for part of the story.
Brett Ratner will jump into the Snow White battle royale with his own “edgy” take on the tale. Backed by Relativity, Ratner’s The Brothers Grimm: Snow White, penned by screenwriter Melisa Wallack (Meet Bill), will be a dark comedy that features not mining dwarfs – but dwarf thieves! And a dragon. Why the hell not.
With this panoply of parable projects heading to theaters, fairy tales may well be the next trend in cinema.
Which Snow White are you most excited to see?
Above image created by Jeffrey Thomas.