Hollywood is a little obessed with Snow White at the moment, with rival movies gearing up to shoot from Universal and Relativity Media (while Disney has an update in the works too). Last month, it was reported that Universal's offering, Snow White and the Huntsman, was eyeing Charlize Theron as its evil queen. Now Deadline confirms that the actress is still in the midst of negotiations for the film and likely to sign on (the only sticking block being a possible role in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar Hoover biopic, which may clash).
However she's not the only person wanting to show her evil side, as Relativity is courting Julia Roberts to play the wicked queen in their The Brothers Grimm: Snow White, although its unknown whether she's likely to take the role.
While both films take the same classic story as their inspiration, they're believed to be very different. Snow White and the Huntsman alters the tale so that it becomes more about the relationship between the young princess and the man told to take her into the woods and kill her. Instead he trains her in survival skills. The Brothers Grimm: Snow White, which will be directed by Tarsem, hews closer to the original, with Snow White banding together with seven dwarves, while taking in the darkness of the Grimm's version.
Incidentally, while both Johnny Depp and Tom Hardy have been mentioned in connection with the Huntsman role in the Universal movie, Deadline says that Michael Fassbender is currently tipped to star.
Both movies are on the fast-track, hoping to beat the other into cinemas, so expect more news on them soon.