Back in December 2012, Universal Pictures decided to move forward with Snow White and the Huntsman 2, bringing back Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth to reprise their roles as the two title characters. However, that report also revealed that Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders was not coming back to direct, following the cheating scandal he was embroiled in with his leading lady Kristen Stewart. We haven't heard anything about the project since then, but now it seems Universal is putting the project back in play, with filmmakers Frank Darabont, Gavin O'Connor and Andres Muschietti atop the studio's short list to take the helm.
Frank Darabont hasn't directed a feature since Stephen King's The Mist in 2007, but he has been busy working on the small screen, creating AMC's hit zombie series The Walking Dead and TNT's short-lived Mob City. Gavin O'Connor signed on to direct Massacre in the Himalayas earlier this week, but since the project doesn't have a screenwriter attached yet, it isn't known when that project may come together. Andres Muschietti made his feature directorial debut last year with the thriller Mama, but he isn't currently attached to a new project after dropping out of Universal's Untitled Mummy Reboot last month.
It isn't known which of these filmmakers if the true front runner at this point, but a decision is expected to be made soon, since Universal wants to release the sequel in 2016. Chris Hemsworth was forced to decline an offer to star in Legendary's sci-fi thriller Brilliance, since he is scheduled to make this sequel after Marvel's Phase Two adventure Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is currently in production.
The original Snow White and the Huntsman followed Snow White (Kristen Stewart) teaming up with the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) sent to kill her, as they exact their revenge on the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron). The big-screen adventure earned $396.5 million from a $170 million production budget.
