Disney has responded to photos that allegedly depict what the Seven Dwarfs look like in the Gal Gadot-starring live-action Snow White remake.
The upcoming reimagining of Disney's animated classic is finally set to hit theaters early next year.
The movie stars Shazam 2 actress Rachel Zegler along with Wonder Woman herself Gal Gadot as the villainous Queen Clementianna.
Gadot has described her role in the film as "different than anything that [she has] ever [done] before," calling her experience working on the movie "delicious," as the tale of Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs come to the big screen again.
Disney Debunks Snow White's Seven Dwarfs Hoax
New images surfaced online that seemed to depict the set of the Gal Gadot-starring Snow White, which revealed a reimagined take on Disney's iconic Seven Dwarfs.
The set images, as posted by The Daily Mail, showcased Snow White, which the outlet claims was Rachel Zegler, as well as her seven forest-dwelling companions.
The new version of the Dwarfs look quite a bit different from their animated counterparts being a mix of gender, ethnicities, and height, which caused controversy among many users online.
While many criticized the supposed attempt at diversity, others were more concerned with the idea that the lack of actors with dwarfism meant that these reimagined dwarfs would be taking opportunities away from those in the community.
However, Disney has since addressed the authenticity of the images, confirming that they are in-fact fake.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, a spokesman confirmed that the photos are not from the production of Snow White:
“The photos are fake and not from our production. We are currently trying to have the Daily Mail issue a correction.”
However, the Daily Mail has hit back against this response from Disney.
The outlet stood by the photos being legitimate in a correction to their original article, saying that the misidentification of Rachel Zegler in the photos has since been amended:
“This article has been amended since initial publication to correctly identify the actress portraying Snow White as an extra who stood in for post-production photography. Disney confirm that stand-ins were used for both Rachel Zegler and Andrew Burnap in these images.”
Are Snow White's Seven Dwarfs in Gal Gadot's New Movie?
While these individuals don't seem to be the Seven Dwarfs that will appear in the final movie, a variation of the characters will indeed make their way into the film.
Responding to actor Peter Dinklage's criticism that a Snow White remake was occurring, Disney confirmed in January 2022 that the studio would aim to avoid stereotypes by "taking a different approach with these seven characters." The company also reassured audiences that the creatives involved "have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community."
One of these new interpretations has already been confirmed for the film, with Martin Klebba playing the role of Grumpy.
It remains to be seen how Disney will adapt the rest of the Seven Dwarfs from the movie. Andrew Burnap has been cast as Jonathan, an entirely new character. Could Burnap's role actually be a reimagined version of one of the Dwarfs?
Gal Gadot's Snow White comes to theaters on March 22, 2024.
