Universal Buys ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’ Spec Script
Last time we heard aboutSnow Whiteit was because Natalie Portman wasrumoredfor the starring role inBrothers Grimm: Snow White, a re-telling of the tale to beproducedby Brett Ratner. In true Hollywood form, however, there is more than oneSnow Whitere-do being shopped around town. There are three, in fact. One is the one I just mentioned, backed by Ratner and Relativity. The second is housed at Disney, and is calledSnow and the Seven. (The, er, Twitter-friendly title.)
The third is this project for which Universal has just ponied up a rather large amount of cash:Snow White and the Huntsman.
THR says that the spec script, byGreyskullwriterEvan Daughtertyand with directorRupert Sandersattached, was picked up by Universal.Deadlinesays the deal was huge: $1.5m against $3m if/when the film is produced. That’s a lot of cash for a script that has two direct competitors. It’s a staggering amount of cash from a studio that has suffered a few big flops in the past year. First thought: the guys who nailed this sale shut are throwing aroundawesomecocaine. Could the script possibly be that good?
Well, let’s see. This one reportedly reworks the classic fairy tale by having the Huntsman go against orders and refuse to kill Snow White, instead tagging along with her as mentor as she’s “trained to fight and survive.“Snow WhiteplusPrince of Persia, in other words. Or by way ofTangled, take your pick. There is reportedly still a love story aspect, as the Huntsman doesn’t replace the Prince. (Got the script? Someone has to, after it has been paraded around town like this.Let us take a gander, please.So curious!)
Could Sanders also be a part of the huge cash transfer? He’s been a possible hire for several big projects after making a series of award-winning commercials, snagging Cannes accolades and craftinga live-action commmercialfor Halo: ODST. Yeah, he probably is. Still: with two competing projects going, one from Disney, this seems like a big gamble for Universal.
