Variety reports that Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man) is in talks to direct a live-action Snow White movie for Disney. Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl On The Train) is writing the script, while Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) will write new songs for the film.
This version will attempt to expand the story and music from the 1938 animated classic. Snow White is just the latest part of Disney’s legendary back catalogue they are remaking in live-action. This year alone we’ve gotten Dumbo, Aladdin, and still to come, The Lion King.
However, unlike those titles, Snow White is in the public domain, so we have seen several recent adaptations of the fairy tale. Strangely, both arrived in 2012. Mirror Mirror starred Lily Collins and Julia Roberts, while Snow White And The Huntsman took the story into action territory. Will Disney be worried that the story has been retold in recent years?
Almost certainly not. Pretty much every live-action Disney remake has garnered a mild reception, yet they’ve still destroyed the box office.
Aladdin opened to $116 million in the US alone last weekend despite tepid reviews. Whether it’s nostalgia, or just the Disney juggernaut, these remakes keep hauling in the cash. Thus Disney really has no need to worry about whether they’re great or not. Welcome to contemporary cinema.
Webb is the latest name to hop into Disney’s lap. Tim Burton, Guy Ritchie and Jon Favreau are other well-known directors who have come before him. The problem is that few of these films have any of the filmmaker’s personal stamp on them. They’re all very similar and Disney-fied. Can Webb make Snow White into something interesting? Or will it just be another forgettable – but profitable – remake?
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