Disney has found its latest live-action princess. Deadline has revealed that the lead for the upcoming Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs remake has been found. The actress who’s bringing the iconic role to life is Rachel Zegler, set to get her big Hollywood break in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, which reaches theaters later this year. Zegler is also currently shooting DC sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The Amazing Spider-Man‘s Marc Webb has been attached to direct the remake since 2019, with Marc Platt (Cruella) producing. Webb reacted to news of Zegler’s casting in a statement, praising her vocal abilities and other talents as the reason why she was the perfect person for the job.
“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 said.
Snow White is due to expand on both the story and the music from the original classic, which was released in 1938 and was the first full-length animated feature. La La Land‘s Benji Pasek and Justin Paul are penning new songs for the movie. Deadline notes that a big reason it’s taken so long for this project to get off the ground is the studio’s dedication to getting the best possible soundtrack, with execs said to be very excited with what Pasek and Paul have come up with.
The search for Snow White has been underway for the past several months. Zegler’s auditions impressed everyone, the trade reveals, but it was early footage from West Side Story – the first teaser dropped in April – that convinced Disney to sign her up. The casting of the half-Columbian 2o-year-old continues the studio’s trend for diversifying their princess lineup with these remakes, following Halle Bailey playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
The new Snow White is set to head into production sometime in 2022. Other live-action reimaginings on the way include Peter & Wendy, Pinocchio and Hercules.