I remember hearing about this move during the heat of Mini-Cooper-gate, also known as the late summer of 2012. Snow White and the Huntsman was already a hit movie and Universal was already talking about a sequel. And then the first-time director of SWATH, Rupert Sanders, was found in flagrante delicto with his leading lady, Kristen Stewart, in the back of a Mini Cooper. Sh-t hit the fan, Rupert’s career stalled and Kristen didn’t work for a year – not for lack of trying on her part, by the way. Anyway, back in 2012, there were some stories post-scandal that if Universal did a sequel, it would not include Rupert or Kristen. And guess what? It’s true.
The Walking Dead executive producer Frank Darabont is in talks to direct Universal’s The Huntsman, a spinoff of Snow White and the Huntsman.
Chris Hemsworth is returning as the film’s titular character, as is Charlize Theron, who played the villain. But Kristen Stewart is not coming back for an encore, as The Hollywood Reporter first reported. The actress found herself at the center of a tabloid maelstrom when compromising photos surfaced of her and Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders (she was dating her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson at the time). The studio emphatically denied at the time that Stewart was exiting the franchise.
Darabont will take the franchise baton from Sanders, whose 2012 film earned an impressive $396.6 million worldwide. Universal cast its net wide when looking for a director, but it eventually came down to Darabont and Gavin O’Connor (Warrior).
So it’s less a “SWATH sequel” and more like the studio is giving Chris Hemsworth his own off-shoot franchise. Which is fine with me. I think Chris’s career trajectory is so odd in this day and age, when most movie stars are struggling in indie films, hacky rom-coms and prosaic, by-the-book dramas, there’s Chris. Chris can’t fit all of the huge action films into his schedule, Chris the franchise man, Chris the company man. As for Kristen… well, I doubt she’s that worked up about it (although it’s always enjoyable to see her try to emote). SWATH proved that she could carry (sort of) a movie that didn’t involve sparkly vampires. She’s already moved back to smaller films and I think she’s happy enough.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I just love her face in the thumbnail. Please don’t change it!
Over and out.
Is that what Rupert Sanders saw coming at him in the Mini Coop?
Over and out again.
I have no words for the dress. Her stylist must truly hate her, I have no other explanation. Who has ideas like that?!
Lol Liv. I think it was actually Marchesa!
Who would have thought that? Ha, everyone! So awful, must be Marchesa! 😉
Ha! From now on I’ll always accept thumbnail picture as her O face no matter what.
Well is ok, all she did in that movie was heavy breathing tbh
Sandra Bullock did the same in gravity. It was annoying.
She was so bad, that I was slightly embarrassed for her.
I actually liked her in Twilight, but SWATH was so far her worst movie. I felt uncomfortable while watching it, she was that bad.
I swear her acting was so wooden in SWATH, my IKEA cabinets emote better expression than her!
No KStew and Super Charlize back?! Count me in!!!
How come ‘Super Charlize,’ can’t open a movie on her own steam then? She’s b.o. poison. See Prometheus, Aeon Flux, 8 Million Ways, etc.
I call her “Super Charlize” because there’s an old reality show (from Bravo, I think), where people would get a makeover based on a celebrity. In one episode, a hideous girl wanted to be look like Charlize, so when she got her hair cut, the host said, “wow, this haircut is super Charlize”, then “this outfit is super Charlize”, “makeup super Charlize”, etc. I thought it was really funny (in a stupid way), so now I call her “Super Charlize”.
And besides, she had me when she said “let them cum” on the Snow White movie, I think the line is even on the movie trailer. I’ve always followed her career, good movies or bad movies, cuming or not. I think she’s great. 😉
Prometheus made $400 million dollars. Snow White and The Huntsman made $400 million. 8 million Ways wasn’t a box office success,but it I suspect it will make a profit.
I don’t know how torrid their affair was and how many times they met up but WHY ON EARTH did they pick to go to such a public place???
All I can say is..the back of a mini-Cooper. Wow. Like two high school kids from the Valley or something. I wonder if she dropped him off at Starbucks on time for his shift and I hope she was able to make it Drama practice in the auditorium on time.
Ha! Good one, KRI.
Stewart could be a bad actress and keep going, OR break up a marriage and keep going, but not both.
Yes I know she is not 100% responsible but married man with children – AND your boss? The affair showed that she’s a loose cannon – and not too bright.
Just a bit of trivia but Darabont has not been an executive producer on The Walking Dead since the first season. AMC gave him his “Walking” papers because Darabont, who was a great producer for that show, wanted to make a great show. AMC, who owns TWD outright wanted to make money. I still adore TWD but miss Darabont.
As for the SWATH, wasn’t that excited by the first movie. Not realy interested in the follow up.
No surprise there, but she better save all her 💰💰💰 as none of those indies will make her enough money and no franchises left for her to earn some …
Kristen Stewart has a hell of a lot of haters but even more die hard fans – who have one thing in common they both buy tix to her wide releasing movies, do you honestly think she doesn’t have the clout to vie for any coveted franchise role? It’s built in box office and everyone knows it was her fans who made that movie bank. Your comments sound like your own Wishful thinking and a bit delusional.
May I ask a question? What in the world do you see in this woman? She’s a lousy actress with an atrocious personality. I’m just curious.
Totally pointless sequel, and I say that as a Chris Hemsworth fan. Although he was pretty damn hot in the film. And they could do a lot worse then Darabont, he’s directed some of my all time favorite movies.
Who would watch this? It’s basically period-piece Thor without the hammer. Zzz.
I agree,, pointless film. It doesn’t seem like there is that much demand for a sequel.
She wasn’t carrying the film, that was on Chris and Charlize. Also the film cost something like 175 mill. plus the marketing. It barely brought the money back but sequels are safer for studios than original films.
Charlize has never opened a film in her career and she didn’t open that one, while Hemsworth can’t open a film that’s not a marvel comic or have Kristen Stewart as a co-star. He needs one or the other. You sound deluded with hate.
That comment sounded “deluded with hate”? Other than the Twilight movies and SWATH Kristen Stewart isn’t exactly a box office queen either.
Never opened a film? I’m not sure what you mean by that. What about Young Adult or Monster? She was the lead in both those films and got critical acclaim in both of them. I don’t know how they did in the box office but she is hardly the first actress to be able to act her socks off without being a huge box office draw. Tom Cruise is a great example of the opposite. He is a huge box office draw but I would hardly call him a diverse actor. There also aren’t as many scripts out there that lead with women. It’s getting better but for now, men are going to be a better draw than women most of the time.
Yes fingerbinger, thanks for pointing that out she’s helmed 5 huge monster films and two franchises grossing about 2 billion before she was 21. Theron is almost twice her age and has never done it. Again you have no point, except to hate on a kid Forbes calls the #3 biggest actress in the world. I’m not invested I just think it’s a hoot that so many bitter cat ladies love sticking their fingers in their ears about her accomplishments. I guess they all want to hump Edward Cullen too.
@Kaylar. Relax, no one is hating on Kristen. I liked her ‘Into The Wild’. However, outside of the Twilight movies and SWATH she’s not a big box office draw. She just isn’t, which is fine. She did two movies after the first Twilight came out and they went no where. She’s done movies since the Twilight series ended and they’ve gone no where. That’s OK. Actors can’t always be in blockbusters. You’re turning this it into some weird ‘Kristen vs Charlize’ competition and it isn’t.
SWATH is one of the only movies in recent history that can actually make me angry. I saw it in the theater and I friggin’ hated it. I felt so robbed.
It was so boring!
I also saw it at the cinema thinking a feminist reboot of Snow White with charlize Theron sounded great. It was honestly the worst film I’ve paid for so boring and Kristen (who I like!) was badly miscast.
I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it. Kristen barely had lines in the movie? why??? Was everyone afraid that her English accent sucked? If so why was she ever picked for the role. All she did was breathe. She was ok, Chris and Charlize carried that movie.
Watched it on cable. My first KStew experience, so I was not out to hate on her but SO and I were both like WTF? She’s not even trying to act.
Hemsworth is getting typecast as action guy…which is fine. He is smart to earn the big money knowing he can’t compete for most prestige pics. He’s a decent actor, not a great one, but perfect for action/fantasy franchises.
I finally saw this movie on TV and it was…nothing. Not good, not awful, just nothing. Stewart didn’t register, Theron consumed the scenary, and Hemsworth really, really needed a dialect coach!! Universal must be desperate for franchises if this is moving forward.
I’m just happy, in a way, that they got rid of BOTH of them. I was afraid Kristin would be the only one catching the brunt of this.
Good point
Love Frank Darabont. He was so well liked on the walking dead that Jeff DeMunn (who played Dale), decided to exit the show. I hope he does something darker and selects someone interesting to play Snow White.
I’m one of the few who liked Dale – I cried when he died. Having said that, I’m now grateful for his decision to leave the show, because they were planning on killing Hershel at that point.
I know people have a problem with Kristen; but how is this a good idea. Fine if you don’t want the director but pointless sequel. Chris is already Thor. He should let the franchises go. Not another one. And while he was enjoyable to look at in the film his part made sense only as it related to Snow White. What exactly is the plot going to be.
I was not that impressed with the first one. Not that memorable. Like her or not Kristen’s fans did support the first film
not interested in the characters enough for a return.
Why didn’t they support her other films that all bomb?
Kristen stewart was and is a little indie queen. You can’t really compare the majority of her films that never release wide and are usually on the film fest circuit and in art houses to movie franchise wide releases. Get real.
Snow White was considered her test at the big box office to see if she could open a big film with her name alone on the marquee and above the credits – and she passed in a big way.
Those same ticket buyers and fans are still loyal and die hard today, she can easily be cast in whatever franchise she wants. Those that think Hemsworth and theron were the draw are in for a rude awakening. See prometheus and rush.
I am thinking Hemsworth is contract bound for the second one. I think I read something a few weeks ago about how he had to give up a better role for this? Can’t remember what it was though.
He was being looked at hard to replace Will Smith in that “Brillance” movie but couldn’t due to this. Frankly that movie sounds stupid and they’re having a terrible time finding a lead actor so he may be no worse off
I bet Kellan Lutz has pictures of Chris Hemsworth all over Kellan Lutz’s room. Kellan Lutz probably thinks lots and lots of Lutzy thoughts about Chris Hemsworth and tells Kellan to continue to be Kellan but also to be a lot like Chris. A Kellan/Chris combo. What could be better? Kellan Lutz is really very sad that Kellan Lutz does not have Chris Hemsworth’s career but Kellan Lutz is also very happy for Chris Hemsworth. Because that is the kind of guy Kellan Lutz is, the kind of guy who can be sad and happy at the same time.
(Kaiser, I miss your terrific Kellan Lutzy posts. We haven’t had one in a while)
Kellan even dated one of Chris Hemsworth’s former Home and Away co-stars, probably so he could try to get closer to Chris!
All this scarlett letter shit is making me angry. They had an affaire… so have about 40 % men AND women in relationships.
Moving on….
To be honest there is likely a very practical reason she’s out…money. She would have a contract for a substantial raise on the sequel (as would Hemsworth) and the movie really only did OK. The reviews were just OK and overall audiences seemed to think it was…OK. That doesn’t encourage more of the same and a bigger budget. They likely decided either her or Hemsworth would stay only and they would try a new angle. A touch of ” saving face”.
Yes! Great comment about the Scarlet Letter! I am so with you on that one.
They were both making a film directed at a young audience. You can’t have pure as the driven snow Snow Whitehaving a sexual affair with a married man and father. You also can’t having the maker of Snow White having sex with Snow White while married to Snow White’s mother. It all comes across as too trashy for a film that is pushing good moral character.
It was an action film and marketed as such. It was PG-13, it was not marketed towards a young audience. 52% of opening box office was people over 30 years old.
She’s not getting the scarlet letter for f*cking the director.
Everyone in HW can f*ck who they like. She’s being dropped because her f*cking upstaged the promotion of two major films and put millions in investments in jeopardy. And her sneering sonambulist performance at premieres and promo interviews is not helpful either.
The money doesn’t want to work with that.
+1
++++++1000
Bravo!
Right. It’s totally annoying. Can’t believe we are still talking about this. I suspect thee are other reasons she is not doing the sequel.
Like she’s a very limited actress?
This is not fair. She was not the married one … Rupert was. It just seems like she is paying the price. WTH the man was twice her age and should have known better. She is at fault but not more than he is and not to the degree people and the media have made it. Universal is nuts and punishing the girl and I don’t think they would have treated a male actor the same way. It is still a man’s world and Universal is showing it right here. Again, she wasn’t married and didn’t have kids but some make it sound like she was caught naked having sex with an underage kid. I never followed her career but even I could not escape seeing the unfair treatment towards her. I hope Universal loses big money for it’s unfair treatment of this young woman.
Right call Universal. Kristen’s presence (and Rupert’s) only resurrects the cheating scandal.
I went to see Charlize Theron only. I wouldn’t mind a proper origins story on her character like Maleficent. Maybe bring her back from the trapped mirror or whatever. Chris already has Thor & The Avengers deal. Men cover 99% of action/comic book movies. I don’t want them taking over the Disney fairytale franchise stuff either.
I think it sounds pretty pointless. And I really don’t like sequels that undo what happened in the first film–which is the only way to have Theron back. Unless it’s actually a prequel.
guess Chris was the best part of the last one. it was a horrible movie. I do hope though they don’t have his accent all over the place. a better script, and hopefully a better director might be what this movie needs.
I remember seeing the film and thinking that Kristen did not speak much in the film. There was 10 minutes of her wondering the woods with no dialogue. I wondered if that was intentional and she was not very good and they had to work around that or if the script always called for it. Because I was surprised that Hemsworth and Theron were the stars.
For me Snow’s lack of dialogue was the problem. I didn’t allow for character development. Which I blame on the script not Kristen. But it was the same thing in Maleficent. Elle Fanning had little dialogue and the movie relied to much on the voice-over narration.
Unpopular opinion: I think Kristen had the best accent out of all three of the leads. Chris’s accent was all over the place while Charlize’s accent was lost in the screaming and drawing out her words.
Affair aside Universal was talking about doing a huntsman spin off before the first movie was released. But given the reviews and okay box office this all seems forced. If they are so desperate for a franchise why don’t they start fresh?
If the new movie turns out poorly maybe Kristen will have dodged a bullet. Chris’s career will be fine either way.
I saw SWATH on an 8-9hr flight to England because I missed the beginning of the other two in-flight movies. It sucked. The acting was ok but the direction was off. Also, I felt like I’d seen most of the stuff before. I’ve read from some KStew fans that the slant taken in SWATH 2 was planned/announced even before the affair. Either way, I seriously doubt it’s going to be any better or any worse.
Is it wrong that I really, really liked this movie? I thought it was endlessly entertaining to see Charlize play ice cold (and stunning!) evil, and Chris was so great as the drunken mess of a huntsman. Kristen was pretty awful of course but I thought that the film’s saving grace was that she didn’t have too many lines.
It will be interesting to see who they cast as Snow next. Hmm. I could see maybe that Bella Thorne girl if they dyed her hair or gave her a nice wig. Hell, I think even Shailene would be great 😊 But please. For the love of God, NOT Jennifer Lawrence. Can the temporary break from her continue a bit longer?
They are not recasting the role of Snow White. Either Kristen won’t be in it or if she is it will be small, cameo like scenes.
YAAAASSSS, the Huntsman is the only character that matters anyway! I wish they would do a prequel! You know when the Huntsman was not the Huntsman yet, and was married to the woman he loved so much :3
I was so disappointed by movie no.1
There was almost zero backstory of the Queen and the Huntsman. They were the more interesting characters. Snowwhite had nothing to say and that wasn´t Stewart´s fault. Seems they needed too much money for the (very good) special effects and had no moneyleft for a good script with dialogues.
Ok, i even can understand why Snowwhite was so fragile and only wandering through the woods without saying something. The character was in a tower for years, guarded by a greepy rapist. No wonder she was uncommunicative and childlike. No books, no friends or other people, no sunlight etc. Girl was still a girl and no woman. Maybe that was the intention, her kind of innocence and kindness (= Snowwhite´s beauty).
Dany, if that were true, how was it that in the next scene, Snow White is a fierce hunter and soldier? The script was very uneven – it couldn’t decide if it wanted a gentle, sweet Snow White or a badass Snow White and the result was a terrible movie. None of the acting was very good and the direction was terrible imo. Kristen got the worse reviews of her career in that movie and believe me I’m not a fan of hers but she has done better in other movies – she was miscast as Snow White.
I wonder if Kristen’s fans are mistaken in that they think the success of a Snow White was because of them. I am being serious and not trying to be mean. I didn’t see it in the theatre but paid to see it on demand and that was because I love fairy tale movies. I will see any movie that has to do with fairy tales, especially the ones Disney took over such as Snow White, Cinderella, etc. I even watched that horrible Red Riding Hood Movie with Amada Seyfried, though I couldn’t finish it because it was so bad. Anyway, what I am trying to say is I wonder if people went to see it for the same reason. I don’t think I am alone in loving movies based on fairy tales. Same goes for Maleficent, though in that case I believe Dame Jolie is benefiting from fans and fairy tale fanatics alike. I found Snow White to be disappointing though and I can’t even remember why.
Honestly, I think both Stewart and Theron were really wooden in the first one. I like Chris Hemsworth so good on him for landing yet another franchise. Hollyfake can’t seem to get enough of Aussie men! The most interest example of going from nowhere to megastardom is Eric Bana. I remember him doing his comedy skits; he was a popular local comedian and did some low-budget comedy stuff that was hilarious.
I think there will be another Twilight movie – mark my words – and that will make Kristen (and Robert, etc.) all the money they need. Kristen will stick with indie, the others will do what they will. She was no great asset to Snow White and the Huntsman – frankly, I think she’s a poor actress – but notoriety will keep her afloat. Meh and feb, says me.
I can’t believe they’re making a sequel. The first one was a piece of s h ! t. Stewart have the same expression the whole time and Theron was overacting.
Why would she even want to do it? Can you imagine the press tour- which director did you prefer? Who did you get along with better? And whyyyy? Seriously, if her team couldn’t deal with Joan Rivers and a joke in a book, how would they deal with this scenario? She is well served to stay far away from any movie with Snow White in the title.
So how do you make a sequel to Snow White with no Snow White?
It is pretty stupid to have a sequel without Snow White. She was the draw in the first movie and that’s why people watched it. Dumb move. Better idea would be to shelf the whole thing. Chris H. Is all over the place and I am already tired of him. And Charlize’s acting and accent were bad.