Snow White: Disney to release live-action remake of animated classic starring Rachel Zegler

Zegler plays lead role in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming ‘West Side Story’

Disney is working on a live-action remake of Snow White.

According to Deadline, West Side Story star Rachel Zegler will portray the titular princess.

Production is expected to begin in 2022 with Marc Webb, the filmmaker behind 500 Days of Summer and The Amazing Spider-Man, directing.

“Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale,” Webb told the publication.

The animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out in 1938. Based on the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 German fairy tale, the movie was Disney’s first animated feature-length release.

In 1950, Cinderella became the studio’s second commercially successful animated feature film. Disney released its first live-action movie, Treasure Island, that same year.

Disney has released a string of live-action remakes of its own animated classics in recent years. Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, and Aladdin have all received the live-action treatment. Recently, the live-action film Cruella, starring Emma Stone as the title character, acted as a prequel for the 1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Zegler will appear in the lead role of Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, scheduled for release on 10 December 2021 in the US and in the UK. Ansel Elgort will portray Tony.