A trio of Snow White movies are currently in the works and each one is shaping up to be... something else. Universal has its Snow White and the Huntsman; Relativity Media will offer a darker and more twisted adaptation with The Brothers Grimm: Snow White; and Disney has a fairy tale/martial arts mashup titled Snow and the Seven on the horizon as well.

Those first two Snow White pics have now lined up two big name actresses to play the titular gal's evil stepmom/queen - Julia Roberts in Tarsem Singh's Snow White and Charlize Theron in Universal's Huntsman pic.

Deadline claims that Theron is in the midst of negotiations to play the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Huntsman, which shifts the focus of the classic fairy tale to the relationship between the famous ebony-haired princess - and the huntsman under orders to murder her. Far from stealing Prince Charming's thunder, the older huntsman - a part X-Men: First Class' Michael Fassbender is reportedly a front-runner to tackle - forms a platonic bond with young Miss White and teaches her about the ways of the world.

Theron is also considering joining Clint Eastwood's Hoover biopic, which could prevent her from coming onboard for Snow White and the Huntsman. Heat Vision says that Universal plans to follow in the footsteps of Disney's Alice in Wonderland and cast an unknown as its lead in the Huntsman pic, so the film's Evil Queen should feature a name actress at the end of the day - even if it turns out to not be Theron.

Roberts' involvement with the more macabre Snow White project is a bit up in the air right now. Relatively Media is apparently "courting" the actress for the Evil Queen role, but presumably that means she has not actually begun official talks with the studio yet. The Oscar-winner's immediate schedule is pretty open, which does improve the chances of her signing on.

Singh's Snow White will refashion the fairy tale as more of a dark adventure in which the famous princess must join forces with the seven dwarfs to battle with her wicked stepmother, who murders her husband and reigns destruction down on Snow White's kingdom. The more sinister tone of the film will undoubtedly be enhanced by Singh's warped visual sensibilities as well.

Both Roberts and Theron have the looks and talent to pull off the part of the Evil Queen, an aging but still attractive woman who becomes insanely jealous of her stepdaughter's natural beauty. Theron is arguably a better fit for the part (here, unlike in Monster, she'd get to be both good-looking and a murderer :-P), but it would be interesting to see Roberts take a shot at playing a flat-out evil character for once as well.

Snow White movie Alice in Wonderland producer

While both Snow White and the Huntsman and The Brothers Grimm: Snow White are shaping up to be very different re-imaginings of the famous fairy tale, the studios behind them have fast-tracked development in the hopes that they will be first to release a "new" Snow White pic in theaters. Expect to hear more casting/production updates in the near future.

In the meantime - what do you think of Roberts and/or Theron as the Evil Queen?

Source: Deadline, THR