These days, you can’t really escape Disney live adaptations, and next on the list is Snow White. Following re-imaginings of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and many more, Disney is now tapping into one of its most secular movies, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to get the live-action treatment.
The upcoming musical film, which will be directed by Marc Webb, features a script penned by Barbie‘s Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, and has casting led by Gal Gadot and West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes breakout star Rachel Zegler.
Disney’s live-action adaptation of Snow White has been in the works since 2016 and a lot has happened since it was announced, so here’s everything you need to know about the film — from casting news to trailer announcements and release date changes.
What will the live-action Snow White be about?
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Snow White will be a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1937 animated classic, which in turn was based on the popular 19th-century fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. You can expect the plot to remain faithful to its predecessors for the most part, but the film’s stars have spoken at length about certain aspects of the reboot being updated for today’s audiences. But we’ll dive more into that later.
The live-action Snow White will be directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man) and, aside from the beloved songs from the 1937 movie’s soundtrack, will also feature additional original songs by songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known for their work on La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Greatest Showman.
How will the live-action Snow White differ from the 1937 original?
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Enter your email to get Teen Vogue’s newsletter
As mentioned above, it’s likely that the live-action version will adopt the same main plot as the original. However, while speaking at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2022, title star Rachel Zegler said that the original Snow White “does not work for today’s audience,” so they created “a new version of the character.”
“We did a really deep dive into fixing and making a modern woman out of Snow White,” Zegler explained. “I think she’s 13 in the original cartoon, so we started there and said, ‘No, she’s 18 in this one.’ She’s a bit more independent. She’s also living in grief. I mean, there was a lot of complex emotion that we decided to deep-dive into. And understanding what it’s like to be a teenager on top of all that.”
Related: From Taylor Swift to Snow White, Every Time Rachel Zegler Said What Needed to Be Said
“We absolutely wrote a Snow White that she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” Zegler continued while speaking to Variety on the D23 red carpet. “She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”
In October 2024, Zegler also admitted that the live-action Snow White would introduce some changes to the titular character’s name and origin story, which famously owed its name to her “skin white as snow” in the animated film and original book. In an interview with Variety, Zegler revealed that this version of the story doesn’t copy the animated classic but instead looks to other sources of inspiration to inform its story in this regard.
“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby,” Zegler shared. “And so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience. One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are.”
↑BACK TO TOP LIST
Who is in the cast of Snow White?
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
The live-action Snow White will star actress and singer Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Both castings were announced in 2021; the full cast list has yet to be shared with the public.
Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California on August 9, 2024.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Yet, we do know that Andrew Burnap will play Jonathan, Ansu Kabia will portray the Huntsman, Martin Klebba will play Grumpy, Dujonna Gift will be Maple, and Colin Michael Carmichael has been cast in an undisclosed role. Emilia Faucher has also been tapped as a young Snow White. No word yet on who is portraying Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, and Dopey. But stay tuned!
↑BACK TO TOP LIST
When will Snow White be released?
After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming for Snow White was completed in the United Kingdom in July 2022, right before Zegler moved on to film The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The film was originally slated to premiere theatrically on March 22, 2024. However, on October 27, 2023, Disney announced the release had been pushed back to March 21, 2025. According to Deadline, the studio cited the SAG-AFTRA strike as the reason for the delay.
↑BACK TO TOP LIST
Is there a trailer for Rachel Zegler’s Snow White?
There is, indeed. Over the last few weeks, you might have seen a leaked version of the trailer circulating online, but there’s no need to resort to that anymore because Disney put out the official trailer for Rachel Zegler’s live-action Snow White on December 3, 2024.
“This was my father’s kingdom, a place of fairness,” Zegler’s voice proclaims in the trailer, “but the queen changed everything.” The next few scenes show us the dynamics between Snow White and the queen, as well as the iconic mirror scene. We also get a glimpse at Snow White interacting with animals and the Seven Dwarfs while some truly enchanting music plays. “It’s time to restore our kingdom,” Snow White finally says as we hear Zegler belting “Waiting on a Wish,” a new song made for the movie. (Yes, the infamous apple also makes a cameo.)
Disney released the first teaser trailer for Snow White at the D23 2024 expo on August 9, 2024, giving fans a preview of Zegler’s singing.
↑BACK TO TOP LIST
Are there any photos of Snow White?
Yes! Disney has released one photo from Snow White, providing the very first look at Zegler in the titular role. The picture gives us a peek at the character’s iconic yellow-skirted dress and bob and our first look at the Seven Dwarfs: Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. There are also some images of Zegler and Galdot in character, including a closeup of the infamous apple scene. You can check all of the images out in the scroll gallery below:
