After receiving backlash from actor Peter Dinklage regarding their upcoming live action version of the beloved classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney released a statement which explains that they intend to take a different approach than the original.
The drama began during a recent interview when the Game of Thrones actor appeared on Monday’s episode of comedian Marc Maron‘s podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, where he shared that as someone who has achondroplasia (a form of dwarfism), he found this whole story to be a step back for Disney.
“Literally no offense to anything, but I was a little taken aback…They were very proud to cast a Latina actress (Rachel Zegler) as Snow White – but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Dinklage said. “Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way…, but you’re still making that f****** backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f*** are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
The story, which was a hit Disney film in 1937, follows Snow White, who after being banished by her stepmother/Evil Queen (played by Gal Gadot), finds a new home when taken in by seven dwarf miners.
After Dinklage voiced his criticism, a statement was released explaining that Disney intends to take a different and more modern day approach to the film.
“To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” a spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
As of now, there are few things known about the film, but it’s set to be released later next year.
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Listen to the full podcast episode below:
