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‘Snow White’ Live-Action Not Releasing as Planned, Lead Actress Relaunches Online Career

Snow White’s 2025 footprint has changed altogether.

Disney's Snow White looking terrified against a background of green eyes

2024 was set to deliver not one, but two interpretations of the timeless Snow White tale, creating an unprecedented face-off between Disney and The Daily Wire. Disney’s much-discussed live-action remake, starring Rachel Zegler, was originally slated to debut alongside Snow White and the Evil Queen, a conservative retelling from The Daily Wire featuring Brett Cooper in the lead. Both projects were anticipated in 2025, promising to showcase two drastically different approaches to the same beloved story.

But as the year progressed, the fairy-tale clash took an unexpected turn.

Disney recently delayed its Snow White release to March 21, 2025, while giving fans a glimpse of Rachel Zegler in the iconic role alongside CGI-rendered dwarfs. The visual update reignited controversy around the project, stemming from a prior decision to replace the seven dwarfs with “magical creatures” following criticism from Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage. While Disney appeared to pivot to include dwarfs in some capacity, Dinklage’s comments drew mixed reactions, with parts of the dwarfism community criticizing his stance.

Rachel Zegler as Snow White

The casting of Zegler, like Halle Bailey’s turn as Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2023), also sparked online backlash due to her Latina heritage. Meanwhile, Disney unveiled a new backstory for Snow White, moving away from her name being tied to her “skin as white as snow.” Instead, her identity is now rooted in a childhood survival story.

“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby,” Zegler explained to Variety. “The king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience. One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are.”

This thematic reinvention aligns with Zegler’s outspoken views on updating princess narratives. However, her comments at D23 Expo in 2022 added fuel to the cultural firestorm surrounding Disney’s “modernized” adaptations. At the event, Zegler described the original 1937 prince as a “stalker” and called out the outdated depiction of Snow White. “She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” Zegler said (via The New York Post). “She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be… if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”

Snow White (Rachel Zegler) singing "Waiting On A Wish"

These remarks prompted strong reactions across social media, opening the door for The Daily Wire to launch its own Snow White project. During Disney’s 100th-anniversary celebration in October 2023, the conservative media company announced Snow White and the Evil Queen, a faithful adaptation of the original tale.

“It’s a story about a princess and a prince, about beauty and vanity, about love and its power to raise us from death to life,” said Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing (via The Hollywood Reporter). “We know we aren’t what Disney is today, but we hope in time we might become what they were, once upon a time: a little studio with big ideas and the courage to chase them.”

However, The Daily Wire’s plans for a rival Snow White hit a significant snag in late 2024.

Brett Cooper as Snow White with the 'Snow White and the Evil Queen' logo

In December, Brett Cooper announced her departure from The Daily Wire, seemingly stepping away from her role as Snow White in Snow White and the Evil Queen. Speaking to her fans on The Comments Section, Cooper revealed her decision to leave was her own, despite rumors suggesting otherwise. “It was [my] own choice to leave,” she explained, a sentiment echoed by Boreing, who said the company was “sad” to see her go.

Cooper’s departure casts doubt over whether the film will ever be released. Following her exit, she unfollowed several Daily Wire personalities on social media, including the company itself, leading fans to speculate about creative differences.

The seven dwarfs

According to reports, these differences may have contributed to her decision to leave. Niche Gamer noted that “The Daily Wire reportedly wanted to add a bunch of subplots with the purpose of triggering leftist viewers, though those subplots were not in the original Snow White tale. Brett Cooper on the other hand wanted her Snow White film to be apolitical, a faithful retelling of the original tale that could be appreciated by conservatives, apoliticals, leftists, and everyone in-between.”

Now, Cooper is striking out on her own. She’s launching The Brett Cooper Show, a new digital brand set to debut January 30, 2025. Despite leaving millions of subscribers behind at The Comments Section, Cooper has already amassed over 730,000 followers for her new platform.

Rachel Zegler as Snow White

Meanwhile, Disney’s Snow White continues to move forward. Directed by Marc Webb and written by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, the film features a star-studded cast, including Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, Andrew Burnap, and Martin Klebba. Music will come from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen.

This former battle of Snow Whites underscores a deepening cultural divide in Hollywood, with Disney doubling down on progressive storytelling and The Daily Wire seeking to revive what it sees as traditional values. Whether audiences embrace these adaptations—or reject them—remains to be seen.

How do you feel about the Snow White drama? Let us know in the comments below!

Thomas Hitchen

When he’s not thinking about the Magic Kingdom, Thomas is usually reading a book, becoming desperately obsessed with fictional characters, or baking something delicious (his favorite is chocolate cake -- to bake and to eat). He's a dreamer and grew up on Mulan saving the world, Jim Hawkins soaring through the stars, and Padmé Amidala fighting a Nexu. At the Parks, he loves to ride Everest, stroll down Main Street with an overstuffed pin lanyard around his neck, and eat as many Mickey-shaped ice creams as possible. His favorite character is Han Solo (yes, he did shoot first), and his… More »

6 Comments

    1. That’s all they ever do is rewrite the same thing over and over. The also write 10 plus paragraphs when the subject could of been covered in 1 or 2.

    1. It seems like getting Brett getting 730,000 followers before she’s posted her first video is not exactly a career that’s down in the dumps. Rachel Ziegler on the other hand would be lucky if she gets cast in the next movie as a troll. She’s not even a particularly pretty Hispanic young woman and her personality makes her even less attractive

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