Live-action 'Snow White' is in the works, says Disney
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
The newest Disney live-action adaptation project will center on a heroine with hair black as ebony and skin white as snow.聽
The 1937 Disney animated film 鈥淪now White and the Seven Dwarfs" will get a live-action adaptation, the studio announced. Like the original story, the new film will include musical numbers.聽
Adapting their animated movies as live-action features has been big business recently for Disney, as movies including this year鈥檚 鈥淭he Jungle Book,鈥� the 2015 movie 鈥淐inderella,鈥� and 2014鈥檚 鈥淢aleficent,鈥� which was based on the story of the villain in 鈥淪leeping Beauty,鈥� have all become box office hits.
The studio has many more projects in this genre planned, including a live-action version of their animated film 鈥淏eauty and the Beast,鈥� which stars Dan Stevens and Emma Watson and will be released this March.
When it was released, 鈥淪now White,鈥� which was Disney's first full-length animated feature film, became a big success (when adjusted for inflation, it is still the highest-grossing animated feature film released in the United States) and changed the movie industry.
"Snow White" launched the entire animated film industry, which now includes Pixar, owned by Disney since 2006; Universal, which releases films such as the 鈥淒espicable Me鈥� series; and Dreamworks, which created the 鈥淗ow to Train Your Dragon鈥� series.
Animated movies continue to be big business, with Disney鈥檚 鈥淶ootopia,鈥� Universal鈥檚 鈥淭he Secret Life of Pets,鈥� and Pixar鈥檚 鈥淔inding Dory鈥� having become some of the highest-grossing films of 2016.
Meanwhile, Snow White's fairy tale has continued to interest Hollywood. Moviegoers were given the option of two different adaptations in 2012, when the movies 鈥淢irror Mirror,鈥� which starred Lily Collins as Snow White, and 鈥淪now White and the Huntsman,鈥� which starred Kristen Stewart, were released. 鈥淗untsman鈥� did well enough at the box office to merit a sequel, which was released earlier this year. In addition, the Snow White characters formed the original core of ABC's "Once Upon a Time," now in its sixth season.
