Geekiary News Briefs – Rachel Zegler is Disney’s Snow White, Aang Gets New Backstory? & More!

Welcome to the latest instalment of The Geekiary News Briefs. I’ll be covering Rachel Zegler being cast in Disney’s live-action Snow White movie, set pics of Halle Bailey as Ariel, Netflix (allegedly) making huge changes to its Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and more!

With Disney all about remaking classic animated movies, it was only a matter of time before the House of Mouse decided to set its sights on Snow White. According to Deadline, the talented Rachel Zegler has been cast in the titular role. This is a huge get for the American-Colombian singer/actress/YouTuber who will be making her big-screen debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story this December.

The live-action Snow White will be directed by Marc Webb with Marc Platt producing. “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 fairytale,” said Webb.

While Zegler getting to play Snow White has received a huge positive response online, of course, there are literal adults who took to Twitter to complain about how such a casting decision has ruined their childhood.

Sigh!

It’s the same talking points I continue to see whenever a studio decides to change certain characters to bring forth a new perspective on an old tale. On one hand, people want Hollywood to take risks and do something different, but when Hollywood actually tries to do so (casting Zegler as Snow White and Halle Bailey as Ariel), certain people yell about studios ruining beloved characters.

Here’s hoping adults being pressed about such casting decisions try and calm down a bit. Even Disney’s animated Snow White movie is a retelling of the original classic. So, just think of the upcoming live-action offering as another retelling and remember to take some deep breaths.

Anyway, look at these images of Halle Bailey having fun on the set of The Little Mermaid from Just Jared. I was expecting her hair to be a darker shade of red. But maybe it will be fixed in post? I don’t know.

The images make it clear that the new movie will be changing things up. It looks like Ariel will be hitching a ride to town on her own instead of Eric finding her on the beach after Ursula gives her human legs.

Again, people, it’s a retelling. Chill.

Talking about set photos, we also got visuals for Sasha Calle as Supergirl in the upcoming The Flash movie. Comic book writer Tom Taylor was quick to mention how Calle looked like Lara Lane Kent.

It’s just a rumor at this point, but it does seem like Calle’s Supergirl will indeed be Lara instead of Kara. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if the creatives make her suit appear far better during post-production.

David F. Sanberg also shared the costumes for the upcoming Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods movie. While I like the overall aesthetic, it did make me roll my eyes at certain creative decisions. Why is it that when we have a superhero team, the female characters are incredibly likely to be showing some amount of skin while their male team members remain covered neck to toe?

I’m not saying female characters can’t show skin. Wonder Woman can beat villains while rocking a skirt all day long. My point is that these characters belong to the same team and go through the same Magical Transformation. However, it’s still only the women who get outfits showing their skin while the men remain fully covered. What kind of “magic” is that?

In my opinion, the Power Rangers franchise does a better job of giving team members coherent outfits because they’re using the same power source.

As for the disturbing news about Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series, if the current rumors are true, I think everyone will agree Netflix should pull the plug on the live-action project. According to GWW, the streaming giant is, allegedly, working on a very different iteration of ATLA.

In this new version of ATLA, being a bender is considered a superpower, as if you’re some kind of mutant. Aang’s still 12 years old, but he has adoptive parents and he’s trying to figure out how to deal with his emerging magical powers. He soon gets called on an adventure that will take him away from his family and friends.

I don’t know what to say.

You should consider checking out the entire article over on GWW. It’s wild, and not in a good way. If I were to guess, I think Netflix is planning to set ATLA in modern times to save on budget or something.

No wonder the original duo behind ATLA decided to part ways with Netflix. At least Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko will be working on actual ATLA content over at Avatar Studios. Thank the heavens for that.

Here’s a video I made talking about these news pieces and the domestic box office results!

As for other interesting developments that you should know about, the queer-centric anime film The Stranger by the Shore will be available on Funimation come July 9, 2021.

It was released in Japan back in September 2020. The story features a young novelist Shun Hashimoto who gets cut off from his family after coming out; and Mio Chibana, an orphaned high schooler who loves the ocean. While the two grow closer, they have part ways only to meet again after three years. Will their love survive?

You can read more about it over on Funimation’s official website.

Just in time for summer, a refreshing new love story set by the sea is heading exclusively to Funimation! ☀️

The Stranger by the Shore will be available subbed and dubbed July 9th!

Find out more: https://t.co/jLeJWdgac3 pic.twitter.com/HRSjKUziwo

— Funimation (@Funimation) June 18, 2021

The Suicide Squad 2 got a new trailer today. Directed by James Gunn, it will be released in the US on August 6, 2021.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, there’s another Transformers movie for fans to be excited about. Titled Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the latest instalment will apparently be set in the ’90s. The human leads will be played by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback.

“There are different breeds of Transformers,” said filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. “In our particular film, they are prehistoric animals who travel through time and space, and we find them here on Earth.”

As someone who was a fan of the Beast Wars animated series, I have to say I’m interested in seeing what this new movie will do. It’s planning a June 24, 2022, release.

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What are your thoughts about Rachel Zegler playing Snow White? Any thoughts about the ATLA rumors?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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