With two Snow White films turning up within months of one another, Disney had to do something totally different with their version of the fairy tale. Conceived more than a decade ago, the idea was to do a martial arts take on the story, even going so far as to hire famed martial arts coordinator Yuen Woo-Ping(The Matrix) to direct. After years of numerous other big names coming aboard then dropping out of the directing job, commercials director Michael Gracey took over last summer. Even so, Disney was looking at a no win scenario trying to follow Relativity's Mirror Mirror and Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman, and now that production finally appears ready to begin they've decided to go in a slightly different direction.
Formerly titled Snow and the Seven, the film is now known as Order of Seven, and has dropped most of the ties to the Brothers Grimm story. Taking on the lead role is Saoirse Ronan, playing British ex-pat Olivia Sinclair, who ventures to 19th century Hong Kong to seek the protection of a group of renowned international warriors turned jaded outlaws. When an evil sorceress emerges, Sinclair must help them reclaim their destiny. Natalie Portman had been circling the lead role some time ago, during the brief time Francis Lawrence(Water for Elephants) had been attached as director.
Michael Chabon cooked up the first script when it was heavy on the Snow White elements, then was rewritten by Toy Story 3's Michael Arndt. With the latest change in direction, Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn have been brought in to do another draft. Filming should begin this fall, hopefully bringing the film's 10 year journey to the big screen to an end. [Variety]
