Kristen Stewart Is No Longer ‘Snow White,’ Exits Franchise

Kristen Stewart, also known as the woman who broke Robert Pattinson’s tender young heart, is now experiencing a break-up of the cinematic kind. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stewart has been dropped from the upcoming Snow White sequel. Instead, the film will shift its focus to Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman, acting as more of a spin-off than an proper follow-up.

“The studio is currently exploring options to continue the franchise,” a spokesperson from Universal explained.

David Koepp, the man hired to pen the sequel, will exit the project as well. THR reports that, since this movie has mutated into something Koepp wasn’t hired to write, the studio will reportedly buy out his contract.

Originally, the studio had planned to film two Snow White movies, after which they would spin-off the Huntsman character into his own feature. Now that Universal has shifted gears, it’s unclear when, precisely, a proper sequel will see the light of day.

This news couldn’t come at a worse time for Stewart, who is experiencing quite the backlash following her infamous make-session with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. Although the studio hasn’t said whether or not the shift in focus was a direct result of their star’s infidelity, it would appear that retaining Sanders is more important than keeping Stewart.

Universal is currently looking for a writer to tackle the sequel/spin-off. The studio declined to comment to The Hollywood Reporter regarding Stewart’s departure.

Although the movie didn’t make a huge dent at the North America box office, Snow White and the Huntsman enjoyed a $154 million theatrical haul. Combined with the international box office results, the film has amassed a worldwide total of $389 million. Considering the film had a budget of roughly $170 million, it makes sense that the studio would strongly consider a sequel.

Would you watch a Snow White sequel without Kristen Stewart?