Disney's Snow White remake arrives in theaters a little over a week from now but the movie won't be getting the typical red carpet treament.
According to Variety, while there will be a pre-party and screening at the El Capitan Theatre with stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, no press have been invited to attend the premiere. That means no interviews and, perhaps most importantly for Disney, no awkward questions.
The plan is for coverage to be "limited to photographers and a house crew."
It sounds like this surprising change comes as a result of the "controversies" surrounding Snow White. For starters, there's the fact a Latina actress is playing the title character, a decision that faced backlash from the start. Zegler, who obviously didn't deserve any of the racist abuse she suffered, failed to win over fans by calling the 1937 animated movie "dated" before comparing Prince Charming to a "stalker."
Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage also publicly tore into Disney for "telling the story of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,'" prompting the House of Mouse to replace them with a group of Bandits deemed "politically correct" by online reports.
More backlash followed and Disney changed course during extensive reshoots meant to bring the movie more in line with the original cartoon (as a result, the Seven Dwarfs have returned and are now CGI).
The controversies also extend to Evil Queen actress Gal Gadot; while Zegler has promoted "free Palestine" on social media, her Israeli co-star has become an outspoken supporter of her country. It's a tricky, divisive issue and one many press would likely want to ask her about.
Back to Zegler, and it wasn't that long ago she was forced to apologise after making remarks about the American people's decision to re-elect Donald Trump as President.
This presumably means no press junket either, though Disney has still promoted Snow White. Zegler and Gadot presented together at the Oscars, while the cast and director Marc Webb have made a handful of appearances overseas.
What's going to be most interesting is how Snow White performs with critics and at the box office. In the former's case, there's no word on an embargo but we'd bet on it being very close to the movie's release date.
Snow White is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
The movie is directed by Marc Webb and produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer, and features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Disney's Snow White opens exclusively in theaters March 21, 2025.