Woke Snow White scandal kills off hopes of another princess live action movie

Posted on by Aditi Rao

Disney has reportedly paused development on its live-action Tangled film following the disappointing performance of its recent Snow White remake.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, insiders at the studio confirmed that the project, which was being directed by The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey and written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is now on hiatus. The original Tangled (2010) was a hit animated film featuring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi and retold the Rapunzel story with a lighthearted, modern twist.

This pause comes after the Snow White live-action remake faced major backlash and underwhelming box office results. The film grossed just $69 million domestically and $145 million worldwide despite a hefty $270 million budget. Critics were also lukewarm, with the film scoring only 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.

As of this week, Snow White ¿ who also stars Gal Gadot ¿ has currently taken in $69,835.869 million at the box office domestically after two weekends and $145,660,560 million worldwide

Star Rachel Zegler received significant criticism for comments she made about the original 1937 Snow White movie—calling it “weird” and labeling the prince a “stalker.” Her social media activity, including political posts like “Free Palestine,” also sparked backlash during the film’s promotional run. Reports indicate that Disney executives, including producer Marc Platt, were concerned about the potential damage these posts could cause the film’s performance.

Zegler allegedly declined to delete her controversial posts, prompting more scrutiny. Marc Platt reportedly reminded her of the stakes involved with the movie and her public image. His son, Jonah Platt, later defended his father and criticized Zegler’s actions, suggesting she had jeopardized the efforts of thousands who worked on the film.

The new Snow White film has faced numerous controversies, from criticism of it being 'woke' to comments made by star Rachel Zegler

In addition to the controversies surrounding Zegler, the remake was also accused of trying too hard to be “woke.” Some audiences and industry figures, including actors with dwarfism, criticized the casting decisions made for the seven dwarfs, claiming it excluded actors with dwarfism from roles they traditionally played.

With the combination of poor reception, social media controversies, and executive shakeups at Disney, the future of live-action princess remakes seems uncertain—for now.