[UPDATE: Chris Hemsworth has closed a deal to star in Snow White and the Huntsman.]

Over the course of two years, Chris Hemsworth has gone from being "that guy who played Kirk's dad in the new Star Trek" to the star of Thor and a major player in the ever-expanding Marvel movie universe. Now the Australian heartthrob looks to have lined up his next big-budget project (after The Avengers, of course) - namely, Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman.

Word got out just a week ago that Universal studio heads wanted Hemsworth to play the Huntsman in their fairy tale "re-imagining"; now, however, the actor has actually begun negotiations to tackle the role.

At one point the Huntsman role in this new Snow White adaptation was said to belong to Viggo Mortensen, but an actual deal was never set in stone. Universal eyed the likes of Hugh Jackman, Joel Edgerton, and - according to Heat Vision - even X-Men: First Class' Michael Fassbender as a possible replacement for Mortesen. It appears the studio ultimately decided that a hot (in all meanings of the term) prospect like Hemsworth was the best choice.

Snow White and the Huntsman will also star Kristen Stewart as the classic dark-haired princess and Charlize Theron as her evil stepmother. In this version of the story, the Huntsman not only disobeys his Queen by not killing Miss White, he also becomes a mentor figure to the young woman and teachers her how to survive in the everyday world.

Sam Claflin will round out the main cast as the Prince Charming to Stewart's Snow White. There's been no word yet on how the seven dwarves fit into this version of the fairy tale - assuming they haven't been exercised completely from the story, that is.

Despite the drastic difference in age between original Huntsman candidate Mortensen (52-years-old) and Hemsworth (27), it seems that Universal's Snow White project will not change change courses and involve a love triangle between the titular duo and Claflin's Prince. Instead, the film aims to offer a more modern version of the Snow White character - and rework the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tale as more of an exciting action-adventure flick.

Several films have attempted to revise and "modernize" the archetypal princess fairy tale in recent years, but the results have varied from good (Hanna) to pretty lackluster (Sucker Punch). Snow White and the Huntsman is more of a literal fairy tale retelling than those two aforementioned titles, but the intent is still very much the same: to transform the outdated "damsel in distress" trope into something more fitting for the 21st century.

Relativity's rival (as yet, untitled) Snow White project also hopes to attract moviegoers by offering a more contemporary spin on the story, as envisioned by director Tarem Singh (Immortals). That film is slated to hit the scene some six months before Huntsman does, which could definitely hinder interest in Universal's movie. We'll just have to wait and see how it all works out.

UPDATE: Deadline has confirmed that Hemsworth is set to star in Universal's Snow White movie. Now it remains to be seen if costar Sam Claflin is correct about the increased likelihood of a love triangle between Hemsworth's Huntsman, Stewart's Snow White, and Claflin's Prince Charming in the film.

Snow White and the Huntsman is slated for theatrical release on December 21st, 2012.

Source: Heat Vision