Disney has reportedly cast rising Hollywood star Rachel Zegler to play Snow White in an upcoming live-action remake. Zegler is set to make her feature film debut later this year as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story, which is scheduled to hit theaters on December 10. Now, it looks like Zegler has landed another major part before her first movie even premieres.

It might seem odd at first glance for a 20-year-old performer with no real onscreen resume to be landing so many major parts, but that’s the x-factor of Zegler, who’s quickly become a sensation across the internet and beyond. While still a teenager, Zegler won her leading West Side Story role over 30,000 competitors after Spielberg sent out an open casting call online. Apparently, the early footage of her performance in West Side Story helped convince Disney she’s also the right woman to bring Snow White back to the big screen.

Related: Why Snow White Is Still The Best Disney Princess Movie

Per Deadline, Zegler has been cast to play the original Disney princess in an upcoming live-action remake. The film will be directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man), produced by Marc Platt (La La Land, The Trial of the Chicago 7), and will feature new originals songs from acclaimed duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Dear Evan Hansen). According to the report, production on the new Snow White and the Seven Dwarves movie will begin in 2022.

Given Disney’s recent trend of bringing back old animated classics in live-action, movement on a new Snow White shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Previous examples like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast have done very well for Disney at the box office, and excitement is already building around the live-action Little Mermaid remake currently in development. As the film that kicked off Disney’s long legacy of princess movies, Snow White was bound to be resurrected sooner or later. The bigger question is how Disney will adapt the story to make it exciting for new audiences – a feat previously attempted by the Kristen Stewart-led Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012.

Relevance is something a new Snow White story may have some trouble holding onto, but casting Zegler is a great first step in achieving it. She has already become one of the defining stars of the current moment, even before her first film has hit theaters. In casting her, Disney has also continued its recent trend of bringing in more actors of color to portray historically white roles, adding some much-needed diversity to the company’s assemblage of young royals. The new Snow White will reportedly begin production in 2022.

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Source: Deadline