Late last month, news broke that Disney, fresh off a terrible year of box office bombs and declining streaming service subscriptions, is bumping the release of its live-action “Snow White” remake back an entire year.
At the time, Disney blamed the decision on the SAG-AFTRA writers strike, which resulted in delays for both movies and TV shows. But now, reports have surfaced that the embattled entertainment giant is terrified of another fiscal nightmare at the theater.
According to the Daily Mail, which cited an unnamed “insider” familiar with the company’s decision, Disney pushed back the film’s release over fears of a “financial disaster.” And they’ve got good reason to be afraid.
Rachel Zegler, the 22-year-old Latina actress tapped to play the titular “Snow White,” spent the last year on a media circuit blasting the beloved original animated film from 1937, calling it “weird,” accusing the movie’s heroic prince of being a “stalker,” and claiming the new version will be a feminist anthem celebrating Snow White’s journey into becoming her own hero instead of "dreaming about true love." Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen in the upcoming version, emphasized that the heroine “is not going to be saved by the prince.”
On top of that irritating display, Disney also announced the remake will feature seven “magical creatures” of various genders, races and heights instead of the original story’s iconic gaggle of dwarves.
Related: 1937 'Snow White' Director's Son Says His Dad & Walt Disney Are 'Turning In Their Graves'
Needless to say, the internet was not impressed, leading Zegler to eventually complain of "backlash" for having been so "outspoken."
Now, Disney's reportedly rethinking its strategy.
“Disney had to delay ‘Snow White’ because they have spent so much money on it, and if it is a financial disaster at the box office, it might single handedly cripple future remakes and potential ‘Snow White’ sequels that they have planned,” the anonymous insider told the Daily Mail.
“They also have to remove themselves from the bad taste in the mouths of online critics and want to instead deliver a great film and get to a point where they get it right," they added. "They realize that they were overthinking things and are now reigning it all in a little bit more."
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