West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler To Play Snow White In Disney’s Live-Action Remake Of Animated Classic

Rachel Zegler will play Snow White in a live action remake of the classic tale.

The 20-year-old singer-and-actress will take on the lead role of Disney's new reimagining of the beloved story, with (500) Days of Summer and The Amazing Spider-Man filmmaker Marc Webb on board to direct.

Webb said of Zegler: "Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairy tale."

Zegler will make her movie debut in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story this December. The film was pushed back by a year after production was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She is currently filming Shazam: Fury of the Gods, due 2023.

Responding to the casting announcement, Zegler wrote on Instagram: "Well… hello to a dream come true.[apple and star emojis]"

Zegler also shared footage of herself meeting Snow White on a trip to Disneyland. She captioned one picture on her Instagram Story: "This news is pleasing to me and my homegirl."

And on another, she joked: "we got lots of catching up 2 do (sic)"

Once upon a time: Future Snow White Rachel Zegler (left) once met Snow White during a trip to Disneyland.

The movie will expand on the story and music from the original film with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — who wrote tracks for La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen — penning new songs for the project.

Production on the movie — which has been in development since 2016 — is expected to begin in 2022.

The original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — which was based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale — was Disney's first animated feature film and was first released in 1938.

Meanwhile, West Side Story opens in Singapore cinemas on Dec 9.

Photos: TPG News/Click Photos, Rachel Zegler/Instagram