Kristen Stewart Won't Return for 'Snow White and the Huntsman' Sequel; Frank Darabont to Direct

Although there wasn't exactly an audience clamoring for a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, the film made around $400M and that was enough for Universal to get moving on one. With the prior movie getting splashed all over the tabloids because of director Rupert Sanders' affair with Kristen Stewart, word started to spread that neither would be brought back for the sequel and Chris Hemsworth's character would become the focus. And now as a director has come aboard for the film newly titled The Huntsman, those rumors have proven to be true.

According to THR, Frank Darabont has been confirmed as director of The Huntsman, which will see the return of Hemsworth and Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen. Darabont had been on a shortlist that included Gavin O'Connor and Andy Muschietti, and this will be his first time behind the camera since 2007's The Mist. He also had a hand in developing the script for Godzilla, and was the original showrunner on AMC's The Walking Dead. He's still probably best known as director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

Stewart is definitely out although the studio had steadfastly denied for months that she was leaving the franchise.There has yet to be any information on why she has left the franchise. Did the studio push her out? Or has she again grown weary of the media firestorm that surrounds major studio tentpoles? She's certainly been focusing her energy in a different direction of late, starring in Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria and the GITMO drama, Camp X-Ray, both of which are expected to debut later this year. 

Universal expects to release The Huntsman in 2015.