A ‘Snow White’ Sequel?
Meredeth Woerner of i09 is none too keen on the announcement of a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, reasonably cynical that the decision has everything to do with money and dubious of the any other point (spoilers) now that Snow White has slain the evil Queen Ravenna and replaced her as head of the kingdom.
I can’t say the prospect of David Koepp writing the script excites me–I’d much rather that opportunity go to Brian Helgeland or Jane Espenson–but a sequel could help develop Snow White’s underdeveloped character and, in effect, improve the first film.
Were I given the honor, I would highlight the conflicts that arise between Snow White’s inherent saintliness and the corrupting influences of ruling a country, but I’d keep the plot more fairy tale than Game of Thrones fantasy given the tenor and tone of the first movie.
My review of Snow White and the Huntsman is here.
While I look at the idea of a sequel to to fishing fairy tale with some combination of resignation and dread, what your describing could actually work.
I’ve always thought a good story would be a pair of movies, the first of which would be the classic “secret royal raised in humble circumstances by a mysterious wizard”, in which the hero unseats the Machiavellian ruler of the kingdom, marries his love and starts his reign as king. The second movie would revolve around finding out that being raised by a wizard on a pig farm is remarkably poor preparation for ruling the kingdom, and while the previous ruler (I think of him as a more selfish Havelock Vetinari) was evil, he was also very good at managing the kingdom, mostly for his own benefit but he made sure everyone else was happy enough to make overthrowing him too much trouble.
Your idea reminds me of the ending of Shakespeare’s Henry V, in which the “happy ending” is undercut by the foreboding reminder that there will be blood.
Regarding Snow White, I hear that the filmmakers are considering the “Snow White goes temporarily evil” route, which could be okay, but I’d rather see her struggle–and I mean really struggle–to retain her goodness amidst the political temptations.
She also has a lot to learn, having been raised in a tower prison cell. Her “quest” to learn the ropes of running a kingdom could also play heavily into a successful plot.