Brett Ratner to Produce “Edgy” SNOW WHITE

For those who can’t handle sweet fairy tales, Brett Ratner is producing a new “edgy” version of Snow White.  Screenwriter Melisa Wallack (Meet Bill) will pen The Brothers Grimm: Snow White.  Speaking to Deadline, Ratner said “Melisa went back to the 500 year old folk tale and put in some of the things that were missing from Walt Disney’s film. His dwarves were miners, and here they are robbers. There is also a dragon that was in the original folk tale.”  If that’s what Ratner considers “edgy”, I encourage him to pick up the comic book Fables and read Bill Willingham’s spin on the character (“Never ask about the dwarves!”).

Snow White is only the latest character to get a new spin.  Writer Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) is handling a re-imaging of Cinderella while various studios are developing a fresh take on L Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz.  There’s also Maleficent, which is Sleeping Beauty told from the villain’s perspective. Watching that trailer for Gulliver’s Travels last night has me deeply concerned about what these studios and filmmakers consider as a modern spin on classic tales. [Artwork above by J. Scott Campbell]