Screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson was faced with the task of determining just what it means for a young woman to be a leader and what it means to be someone who can inspire and connect with the people around you. “The producers, songwriters and I spent four years in close collaboration, carefully forming a script that dovetailed the vital elements of Disney’s 1937 animated classic ‘Snow White’ with the modern,” says Wilson. “I took my cues from the masterpiece that already existed – gently fleshing it out for a more contemporary audience.”
Disney’s 1937 animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, helped establish the studio as an animation powerhouse. Based on a classic fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm, the film introduced the world to the iconic characters of Snow White, the Evil Queen, and the lovable dwarfs and spawned the iconic songs Heigh-Ho and Whistle While You Work.
The original ‘Snow White’ was a great work of art,” says producer Marc Platt. “It was the first fully narrative animated film, and its animation was beautiful and groundbreaking. And for audiences in 1937, it immersed them in a world and made them feel that they had been transported, with characters that have become through time beloved; songs that have become beloved and a story that remains a classic.”
When the opportunity to create a new live-action musical reimaging presented itself, Platt leaped at the opportunity. The four-time Oscar-nominated producer (“Wicked,” “La La Land,” “Bridge of Spies,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7”) and fellow producer Jared LeBoff, with whom he produced the successful film version of the Broadway musical phenomenon “Wicked,” quickly zeroed in on Marc Webb to direct. The talented filmmaker, who has helmed such hit films as “500 Days of Summer” and “The Amazing Spider-Man,” Webb was eager to take on a property steeped in love and nostalgia.
“It was really important for us to honor the DNA of Snow White,” Webb says. “The original ‘Snow White’ didn’t break the mold…it created the mold. Somehow Walt Disney connects to something inside of us – a kind of childlike wonder and optimism.”
Webb continues, “But there was also an opportunity to re-tell the mythology to reflect the times that we’re in, and I think all good stories evolve over time. They become reflections of the world that we live in and what we want the world to be to a degree.”
“Our story is about a young woman who’s learning to be queen, to be a leader,” Webb says. “And one of the guiding principles for us when developing the script was who is Snow White as a leader? Disney princesses have evolved pretty dramatically in the last century, so we wanted to know what is specific about Snow White. What makes her different? And the idea that she is a princess is easy to gloss over, but the fact is that she has a destiny to lead was something that we really wanted to hone in the script.”
The filmmakers brought in Erin Cressida Wilson (“The Girl on the Train”) to pen the screenplay
Wilson continues, “My task was to dive into the character of Snow White and find what second act her story begged for. I massaged the theme of her discovering and trusting her own voice and her own purpose with compassion and strength. Snow White is Disney’s first princess, and it was an honor to be given the gift of bringing her entire story to life.”
Fortunately, everyone was in agreement. And Webb was the ideal person to bring the story to life.
“Marc is so talented,” says Gal Gadot. “He had a clear vision from day one and knew how he wanted to tell this story. The fact that he started as a music video director helped the production become a fully realized musical production. He was wonderful to work with…as an actor, he gives you a lot of freedom. And at the same time, he has his own space, his own range where he has already envisioned everything in his head, and he makes it very easy for us to get there.”
Rachel Zegler adds, “Marc is one hell of a director. I’m so honored that he took on this project and honored that he let me come along with him on this journey.”
LeBoff agrees, saying, “For every single take, Marc was right there with the actors. He loves to be out there going back and forth with everybody. When we do the big dance warm-up’s, he’s actually doing the dances and jumping up and down.”
Rachel Zegler plays Snow White, the kind, resilient, and courageous title character. She is the daughter of the beloved King and Queen who encouraged her to be fearless, brave, and true.
The actress, who first wowed audiences with her film debut in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and went on to star in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, was primarily drawn to the role because of director Marc Webb’s vision. “From the word go, it was obvious that Marc wanted to make a ‘Snow White’ for this generation,” says Zegler. “That is what is so poignant in our story, and I think people all over the world will be able to resonate with her.”
Producer Marc Platt adds, “Snow White’s superpower is her goodness, her kindness…themes and ideas that are very important in the world we live in today, maybe even undervalued some might say. And it imbues her with an inner beauty and an ability to lead.”
“To be honest, Snow White’s core is exactly the same – goodness, kindness and a belief that you can have your dreams come true without being mean-spirited,” says screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson. “Like other Disney princesses, it’s not that her character changes, it’s that her generosity of spirit becomes threatened and ultimately wins as she saves her kingdom and shows us that kindheartedness is a true leadership quality. It is, in fact, the characters around her that will forever be changed by Snow White’s altruism.”
Snow White’s stepmother, the Evil Queen, is hard and unyielding, with an icy calm voice and eyes that are full of rage. She despises Snow White for her beauty and virtue and devises a wicked scheme involving a poisoned apple. Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress and producer, who is best known to audiences as Wonder Woman in the DC Universe and for her role in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, had numerous discussions with Webb early in pre-production, as to what drives her character.
“We talked about what motivates her, and who she really is as a person,” says Gadot. “I loved the fact that this was something completely new for me as an actress, and playing a villain is exciting. It allows you to go to places you can’t when playing a straight character. And on a musical, you can do everything in a more theatrical way and use your body language to be really over the top. She was a very, very delicious character to play.”
Gadot continues, “I wanted to make sure that she is all about power, and her looks are the only way she can mesmerize people and work her magic. Once she has that, she becomes vicious and powerful. The Evil Queen is all about power. She wants to be in control, she is the alpha character, she is a narcissist, and she loves being in control and having people worship her.”
MARC WEBB (Director) has directed and produced numerous film and television projects of critical acclaim and commercial success. His upcoming film projects include Disney’s live action “Snow White” starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, and “Day Drinker,” an action thriller starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz for Lionsgate. Webb has served as an executive producer for the CW series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” with Rachel Bloom, CBS’ “Instinct,” “Limitless,” “The Code,” and Hulu’s “Death and Other Details.” He also executive produced and directed Netflix’s original series “The Society,” a young adult drama series written by Chris Keyser and starring Kathryn Newton, Rachel Keller, and Gideon Adlon.
Webb directed the feature film “The Amazing Spider-Man” and its sequel, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” each of which grossed more than $700 million worldwide. Following that, he directed “Gifted,” starring Chris Evans and Jenny Slate, which was released in April 2017 by Fox Searchlight. Webb made his feature film debut with “(500) Days of Summer,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. The film was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards®, including best picture, and The National Board of Review honored Webb with its spotlight award, which recognizes outstanding directorial debuts.
Webb began his career as a music video director. He has been honored with several MTV Video Music Awards including the best director award for Green Day’s “21 Guns,” best rock video in 2006 for AFI’s “Miss Murder,” and best group video for The All-American Rejects’ “Move Along.” Also, the Music Video Production Association honored him as director of the year for his work with Weezer, AAR, and MyChemical Romance.
ERIN CRESSIDA WILSON (Screenwriter) won the Independent Spirit Award for her first screenplay, “Secretary,” starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader. Among her other credits are “The Girl on the Train” (Emily Blunt), “Men, Women, and Children” (co-written and directed by Jason Reitman), “Chloe” (Amanda Seyfried, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, directed by Atom Egoyan), “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus” (Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr). For television, she served as writer/producer on the HBO series “Vinyl,” executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger. In 2025, Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, “Eleanor the Great,” will be released (production rewrite and executive producer). Current credits include a film for Ron Howard, the biopic of Janis Joplin, and the Madonna biopic (co-writing with Madonna). Wilson mentors at the Sundance Institute Screenwriting Lab and was a professor at Brown, Duke, Stanford, and UCSB. As a recipient of awards from the Guggenheim and the NEA, she is an off-Broadway and internationally produced playwright. She is currently adapting Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” for the Old Globe.
