Emily Blunt To Become (Villainous) "Snow Queen"?

Do you remember all the talks about Snow White and the Huntsman getting a sequel, but that there would be no Snow White.. etc etc? Well there have been other developments in the past couple of days, one in particular I didn't expect at all.

Emily Blunt, the amazing actress who played The Baker's Wife in Into The Woods, is looking to get involved in another fairy tale franchise (or two - more on that later*) and is officially "in talks" (negotiating a possible contract) to play the villain in the new movie The Huntsman (previously known as Snow White and the Huntsman 2). It's a character we already know and have seen a few different version of recently, both nice and not-so-nice. I have a feeling Ms. Blunt would have no trouble in making us shiver.

The sequel sends the Huntsman on a quest to find the magic mirror (which has been stolen), forcing him to face not only his past but the evil Snow Queen who’s set on avenging her sister Ravenna’s death. 

The Snow Queen is the role that Blunt is in talks to take, and Charlize Theron IS expected to return as Ravenna. Darabont actually wrote the current draft of the screenplay, but whether or not that will now go through any changes remains to be seen. (source)

 So the Snow White story will be dovetailing into a Snow Queen story, except that this queen isn't (and isn't related to) Snow White herself. And it now looks like this WILL be a sequel, not a prequel as it's been called for the past year+.

It's not the first time I've thought one could make a connection between the two stories but normally it would involve the Snow White character fairly centrally. This new movie/sequel looks to be working on a new fairy tale altogether. They're just setting in a world we already associate with Snow White. Unless there is some very interesting writing, there is the high probability that "a strong male protagonist will beat the evil woman", to much predictable criticism, but I hold out hope that people have their Bechdel tests handy to check the script against and maybe (maybe!) even consider looking at Andersen's original Snow Queen to consider balancing out the negative feminine energy with one or more of those other beloved characters (Little Robber Girl please!). The fact that Blunt is looking at the role at all, gives me optimism. She seems very particular in choosing smart roles that will reflect well on her and women in general.

Don't worry, my skepticism about this film-to-be is alive and well (why do I feel like we should be expecting a "Snow Trilogy"?), but after being impressed, despite myself, with what Kitsis and Horowitz (and the amazing Elizabeth Mitchell) did with the character of the OUAT's Snow Queen last year (right in the middle of possibly the worst storyline/arc/set-up to date), anything seems possible!  (We'll have to write about OUAT and Frozen another time...)

As an added hurdle for the film, The Huntsman (no Snow White in this film's title), has just lost their director due to creative differences but the film is still going full steam ahead in pre-production, aiming to hit the release date scheduled (April 22, 2016). A new director will apparently be announced next week.

I look forward to seeing their new director/direction and if Ms. Blunt will be part of it.

* Emily Blunt has also expressed interest in being involved in Frozen 2 - the Disney animated sequel movie currently in development.

"Snow White and the Huntsman 2" Gearing Up, Hunting for Different Director

There has been interest in Snow White and the Huntsman 2 ever since the first movie. (You can see a previous post HERE.) There's been at least one script, Kristen Stewart is definitely attached and apparently Chris Helmsworth is also contractually obligated to return to reprise his role as the Huntsman as well (which will help the movie enormously).

The directors rumored to being considered are an interesting bunch, (original director Rupert Sanders is not among them) suggesting that they're working on making this it's own - hopefully decent - movie, rather than (just) a money-spinner sequel.

From Deadline this past week:

 Universal is getting down to finding a helmer for Snow White And The Huntsman 2. I’m hearing the shortlist consists of Frank Darabont,Gavin O’Connor and Andy Muschietti. 

...This is an intriguing group of filmmakers. Darabont, after helming The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, hatched The Walking Dead and helped forge it into cable TV’s top-rated drama before getting fired. He hasn’t helmed a feature since 2007′sThe Mist. Then there is O’Connor, who directed the cult favorite film Warrior as well as Miracle and stepped in and saved the Natalie Portman starrer Jane Got A Gun. Then there is Muschietti, the Mama helmer who was tapped by Universal to reboot its The Mummy franchise, before he fell out of that project. 

I'll admit I'm intrigued by the idea of Frank Darabont helming and what he could bring to the film.

Universal are also pushing for a 2016 release date so we're talking about SWATH2 being on the fast track to see it happen by then (what the reality turns out to be, we shall see).

A sequel has the strong potential to be an interesting exploration of the Snow White character - possibly - but chances are we're in for more faux-medieval intrigue, politics and war rather than Enchanted Forest explorations. Still, with Maleficent doing so well and the forest and faerie being an enormous part of that movie, this may also be the reason SWATH2 has been put on the fast track. ie. want more enchanted forests? We can do that! Also, the similarities between Maleficent and Snow White and the Huntsman are most definitely present and in a way which shouldn't hurt a  SWATH sequel at this point, unless, perhaps, you look at them so specifically, like this:

Ah the power of editing! You might be surprised at just how many films you could "parallel" this way. Still, they're both "sleeper" stories and DO have many things in common, as far as fairy tales go (Heidi of SurLaLune can tell you all about it!), and it doesn't hurt that the two "queens" here have been posed in similar ways either (ah Hollywood, we love you, but..!)

It could go so many ways. While I can easily imagine a premise and plot worthy of fairy tale research and exploration, unless Disney's obvious push in that direction is an influencing factor, I can't see that happening (unfortunately. It could really be quite wonderful...)

Hollywood seems a little confused at present: fairy tales = BIG! as are super heroes. Fantasy still dominates the box office when it appears - whether that be a family film or adult, so the property of Snow White and the Huntsman has a lot of options but it doesn't seem great at committing to one thing, (perhaps for fear of alienating potential audiences). I'd be very surprised, though, if they strayed completely away from fairy tale and fantasy and went into the Game Of Thrones/Reign genre (or whatever they're calling that style). That just doesn't seem like good business sense in the current climate. I guess we shall see... #moregirlsinmorearmor?

What are you looking forward to?

Me - I'd love to see more of this guy:

Snow White Drifts To the Dark Side in SWATH Sequel?

 Ah yes, Snow White the Trilogy. (Or is it SWATH the Franchise?) Either way, we've known from the very early on that Universal was eyeing Snow White and the Huntsman as the first (story?) in a three-movie deal and you'll be glad (? - yes there are a few question marks here) to know that the sequel is well underway and a release is planned for sometime in 2015.

So what do we know about SWATH 2?

We know Ravenna, the evil queen, (played by Charlize Theron) died - really died.
The mirror, however, did not. (Does that mean it was/is alive??)
But.
There is magic here so ya never know...
We know that despite the rumors a sequel would concentrate on the Huntsman instead of Snow White, Snow's character is confirmed as being front and center once again. (And it would make a lot of fairy tale sense if the queen became the mirror...)

But what do we REALLY know?

Both Kristen Stewart (Snow White) and Chris Hemsworth (the Huntsman) are confirmed as attached (and reportedly already gearing up for filming). The director is... still unknown (though it's definitely NOT Rupert Sanders*). The various design teams are still a question marks too (please come back Ms. Atwood!).

Fans speculate about SWATH 2

It would appear, however, that David Koepp is (still) the screenwriter (with a new, official IMDB credit and completed script tucked under his arm, just awaiting a director to add, change, approve it) and on May 1st, 2013, Mr. Koepp was reported as talking enthusiastically about the SWATH sequel to Vulture, saying:

"It's like The Empire Strikes Back. I felt like they had a really, really great idea that seemed like a natural extension of the story ... Snow White is queen now, but the mirror is still there. It doesn't bode well for our innocent little queen." Assuming even if she succeeds in vanquishing yet another evil in the second film, the fight is far from over: Koepp is already thinking past the sequel. "There's plenty to go," said Koepp, who has been pulling some of his new characters from Russian fairy tales*. "There's also a great idea for a third movie." Feel the Force, Snow.

Will Snow be whistling while she works to clean up the countrywide mess left by the evil queen? (Yawn.) Will she battle a new antagonist? (??) Or will she be her own worst enemy and become a reflection of the queen her (step)mother was?*** (I vote for this one.)

Fan-made SWATH 2 poster

The hype for the first Snow White and the Huntsman talked a lot about being more faithful to the darkness of the original (aka Grimm's) tale and was summarized very nicely by Empire Magazine (in an article well worth reading if you like the tale and/or movie.) The main push was that this was no pixie-dusted Snow White, that it was edgy and yet stayed true to the original character of Snow, both as described in the Grimm text as well as the more well known version animated by Disney. But with a sequel (and likely a third installment) on the way, will those all-important characteristics of the fairy tale heroine develop in a logical way or are we in for something completely different?

(And don't forget it was pretty clear that the story between Snow White and the Eric the Huntsman wasn't over, so there is plenty of room for romantic speculation as well.)

The only other thing we know for certain is that Ms. Stewart is "very excited" about the sequel or as she puts it: "Oh, it's gonna be f----n' amazing. No, I’m so excited about it, it’s crazy." (To which all at Universal were like "OMG Stop talking already!" so that was all we got.)

* Though The Playlist appears to be voting for Neil Jordan, [The Company of Wolves, Interview With A Vampire and the very beautiful and recent Ondine] which would be really interesting to see. I can't, however, find any whiff of that being a real possibility.

** But wait! Rewind to the Episode V hint - did you just read what I did? "New characters from Russian fairy tales"? -swoon- [If you've been reading the blog for a while you'll know I adore Russian fairy tales. From Baba Yaga to Koschei the Deathless and all the Ivans and Vasilisas in between.] I can actually see how that would fit with the direction the first film took.

*** I wanted to write something about "apples" and "giving in to temptation" but the mixed metaphor thing was getting ridiculous!

Hmm, well, Kristen could be on the road to becoming the next Evil Queen. She could also end up battling the remnants of Charlize’s magic-infused reign. But which is it?! - See more at: http://perezhilton.com/2013-05-03-kristen-stewart-evil-queen-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-sequel-villain#.UblAr-uA0hd

Hmm, well, Kristen could be on the road to becoming the next Evil Queen. She could also end up battling the remnants of Charlize’s magic-infused reign. But which is it?! - See more at: http://perezhilton.com/2013-05-03-kristen-stewart-evil-queen-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-sequel-villain#.UblAr-uA0hd