Disney has lined up its latest live-action remake in the form ofSnow White. We first got wind that the Mouse House was looking to make a new version of their animated classic for modern audiences back in 2016, but we haven’t heard much about the project since. We now, however, have word that the studio has set sights on director Marc Webb for the gig, which signals that the project is actually gaining some momentum.
According to a new report,Marc Webbis currently in talks to directSnow Whitefor Disney. No deal has been made yet, but he is the studio’s choice for the gig, assuming they can make it happen. Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train) is also in negotiations to pen the screenplay for the remake. Should both of those deals make, they’ll join a team that already includes the songwriting Oscar-winning duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are behindLa La LandandThe Greatest Showman. Pasek and Paul also collaborated with Disney on their recently releasedAladdinlive-action remake, which has proved to be a hit at the box office.
Marc Webb is best known as the director ofThe Amazing Spider-Manmovies, which starred Andrew Garfield and preceded the current iteration of the character played by Tom Holland in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Webb also directed500 Days of Summerand the 2017 indieGifted. Webb is also a renowned music video director, having worked with artists like Weezer, My Chemical Romance and Avril Lavigne. He hasn’t worked on a major blockbuster sinceThe Amazing Spider-Man 2was released in 2014.
As forDisneytaking onSnow Whiteas a live-action remake, this is treading on pretty sacred territory for the studio. Released in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Disney’s first feature-length animated venture. At the time, it was viewed as a huge risk, though one that ultimately paid off. It went on to become a huge success at the box office and now, 80 years later, it remains a lauded classic and a watershed moment in Hollywood history. Not to overstate things, but if Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs didn’t happen, or if it didn’t go over as well, Disney as we know it may not exist today.
The studio has had tremendous luck with similar live-action remakes, starting with Tim Burton’sAlice in Wonderlandin 2010, which grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office. This year alone they’re releasedDumboandAladdin, with Jon Favreau’s remake ofThe Lion Kingset to debut in July. Disney also has a live-action remake ofMulanon the way, as well as several other remakes in development.Snow Whitedoes not yet have a release date set. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available This news was first reported byVariety.
