Casting news for the upcoming live-action remake of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs suggests that the titular princess's seven new pals will be played by actors - not CGI. While we know that Rachel Zegler stars in the film as Snow White alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, no casting information has been officially announced concerning the seven dwarfs. After Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage famously criticized the film's production for featuring dwarf characters, there were rumors that they would be reimagined, perhaps as "magical creatures" created with animation.
Actor Martin Klebba, who's best known for his role as Marty in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, has since announced his role in the Snow White movie. Per TheDisInsider.com, Klebba was present at a Fan Expo event in Denver where he said he had just finished his work on the movie and revealed that he will be playing Grumpy, one of the titular dwarfs. As Klebba says:
"I just got done filming Snow White. It's going to be coming out late next year. And, of course, I play Grumpy. Gal Gadot is our witch, and Rachel Zegler will be our Snow White. So, come on down, it'll be a good time."
Will Grumpy Be a "Magical Creature?"
There have been rumors of "magical creatures" replacing the dwarfs in the Snow White remake, but it wasn't clear what that meant exactly. It was speculated that the film would reimagine Grumpy and Co. as something more supernatural with CGI being used to animate the characters. While Peter Dinklage was not happy with the film potentially using dwarfs, other actors with dwarfism were more optimistic about the seven roles in a major film that the Snow White movie could provide.
"It makes me so sick to my stomach to think that there are seven roles for dwarfs that can’t get normal acting roles, or very few and far between roles, and now they are gone because of this guy," actor and former WWE Superstar Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl told the Daily Mail. "To be in a remake of one of the biggest fairytales, biggest Disney stories of all time, would be enormous. I know me and six other little people who would love this role. Disney— call me. This would be a dream role for me. I am begging for one."
He added, "We are in a society and a time of woke and progression and I get that — to an extent — but this is a fairytale. This is a fairytale about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Dwarfs are one of the focuses — they are literally in the title."
Marc Webb directs the Snow White remake using a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson. Of course, the movie is based on the original animated adaptation by Disney. The film does not have an official release date, but going by Martin Klebba's comments, it seems like the movie will arrive in late 2023.