Back in November, it was revealed that Gal Gadot would be taking on the role of the Evil Queen in Disney’s upcoming live-action reboot of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is set to star West Side Story and Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Rachel Zegler in the titular role. Earlier today, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Tony-winning actor Andrew Burnap is joining the cast as the movie’s leading man. While Disney fans are likely to assume he’s playing The Prince or The Hunstman, it’s being reported that Burnap has actually been cast in a new role.
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THR reports that Burnap is expected to sing in the upcoming movie, which is unsurprising considering his Broadway history. Just like the original animated movie, the live-action remake is a musical and will feature music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are known best for La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and Dear Evan Hansen. Zegler is also making waves in the musical world having just won Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy at the Golden Globes for playing Maria in West Side Story. Earlier today, Burnap took to Twitter to celebrate the news.
When the movie was first announced, Disney president of production Sean Bailey spoke to Vulture about the decision to revive Snow White.
“We were given an incredible opportunity to discover what we wanted to be as a live-action team. We were given a lot of latitude to think about what that was,” Bailey explained. “We thought if Iron Man and Thor and Captain America are Marvel superheroes, then maybe Alice, Cinderella, Mowgli, and Belle are our superheroes, and Cruella and Maleficent are our supervillains. Maybe if there’s a way to reconnect with that affinity for what those characters mean to people in a way that gets the best talent and uses the best technology, that could become something really exciting. It feels very Disney, playing to the competitive advantages of this label.”
“Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts,” director Marc Webb said of Zegler’s casting. “Her strength, intelligence, and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs does not yet have a release date, but it’s expected to begin production in the U.K. in the spring.
