Hollywood Flashback: The Year of the Dueling Snow Whites

The live-action adaptation of Disney’s “Snow White” featuring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot is set to premiere on March 21. However, it’s not the only modern take on this classic fairy tale, as director Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror” (starring Lily Collins as Snow White and Julia Roberts as the Wicked Queen) was released in 2012. This retelling is a more contemporary version of the Brothers Grimm story that had earlier been depicted in the 1937 animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.

2012 saw the release of the first installment of “Snow White” amid a flurry of modernized fairy tale adaptations, with “Red Riding Hood,” led by Amanda Seyfried, having debuted in 2011 and “Snow White and the Huntsman,” starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth, following two months later. Director Singh recalls feeling the need to release his film before Universal’s, due to their larger budget and resources. “We don’t have anything close to their resources, so we needed to come out first,” Singh explained to THR. The original title of Singh’s movie was “Snow White,” but Universal’s film forced a change, much to his disappointment. “I said, ‘You just cost yourself around 150 million dollars because that name is what it is,’ ” the filmmaker admitted.

Singh initially considered Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, and eventually Collins for the lead role. The producers were captivated by Collins and urged Singh to meet her, who later starred in Netflix’s Emily in Paris. As for the film’s prince, Armie Hammer was the preferred pick, and it was discovered that his playful nature made the cast enjoy his pranks. Martin Klebba, the dwarf actor (and voice of Grumpy in Disney’s latest), would trick Hammer by filling his boots with rock salt used as snow when he wasn’t looking.

On March 30, 2012, Relativity Studios unveiled the movie “Mirror Mirror,” but reviews were divided. The Hollywood Reporter’s critique suggested that the film lacked a strong dose of magic or enchantment. Despite this, it grossed approximately $183 million worldwide, equivalent to about $254 million today, and even received an Academy Award nomination for its costume design.

Singh remains unphased as fresh variations continue appearing: “Each new group emerges, and they’re not content with their father’s version of ‘Snow White’ – they crave something unique of their own.

You can find this story in the March 19th edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To stay updated, consider subscribing.

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2025-03-22 22:24