Disney has responded to criticisms from actor Peter Dinklage regarding the forthcoming remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The acclaimed Game of Thrones actor described the story of the live-action remake as “f***ing backwards” during an interview on the latest episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
Addressing the casting of West Side Story star Rachel Zegler in the lead role, Dinklage said: “I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. You’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me.
“You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f*** are you doing man?”
In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporterand other outlets, a spokesperson for Disney has now responded to the criticism.
“To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” they said.
“We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
The film has been in development at Disney for three years; no release date has yet been confirmed.
