Rachel Zegler to Star as Snow White in Disney’s Live-Action Adaptation of the Classic Animated Film

Rachel Zegler’s royal coronation is around the corner…

The 20-year-old half-Colombian American actress and singer will star as Snow White in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic film that started it all for the studio’s legendary slate of animated features.

Rachel Zegler,

Marc Webb will direct the film, with Marc Platt producing. Production is expected to begin in 2022.

“Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts,” said Webb of the actress who will star as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s new retelling of West Side Story. “Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”

The original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cartoon, based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, was released in 1938.

It was Disney’s inaugural animated feature and became a massive success for the studio.

Insiders say the live-action film will expand upon the story and music from the original. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar– and Tony Award-winning duo behind La La LandThe Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen, will write new songs for the film.

The studio had been taking its time on the live-action adaptation because they wanted to get the music right, and insiders says higher-ups are excited with what Pasek and Paul have come up with so far.

As for the casting process, Webb and studio execs had been meeting with talent for several months for the role of Snow White. Zegler’s auditions impressed everyone, insiders say, but another factor was footage from West Side Story that blew away the Disney studio brass who’ve seen it, and helped push the decision across the finish line.

The casting also marks a step in the right direction of Disney diversifying its Disney Princess characters, after tapping Halle Bailey to play Ariel in the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid film.

Zegler was just 17 when she beat out more than 30,000 actresses for the lead role of Maria in West Side Story. The new adaptation will debut on December 10 and also stars Ansel Elgort and Rita Moreno.

She’ll also star in her first big comic-book film, joining Zachary Levi in D.C.’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Moana” Soundtrack Surpasses 1 Million Copies Sold Mark

Oh how far Lin-Manuel Miranda will go…

On the latest Billboard 200 albums chart (dated August 25), the 38-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, playwright, rapper and actor’s soundtrack to Moana reaches a sales milestone.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

The soundtrack has now surpassed 1 million copies sold in the U.S. The set, which moves 59-62 on the chart in its 91st consecutive week on the tally, sold 2,000 copies in the latest tracking week, according to Nielsen Music, bringing its total sales sum to 1.001 million.

The soundtrackfeatures songs written by Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, with lyrics in English, Samoan, Tokelauan, and Tuvalu.

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 16 and peaked at number 2, kept off the top spot by The Weeknd‘s Starboy. “How Far I’ll Go” was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Only eight albums released in the past two years (dating back to August of 2016) have sold a million copies in the U.S. No albums released in 2018have cleared a million yet. The last-released album to reach a million sold was the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman. It was released on Dec. 8, 2017, and has sold 1.252 million.

Notably, Moanais also only the third soundtrack released in the past fouryears to clear 1 million sold, following Showmanand Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (2.191 million).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week’s most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Gael García Bernal to Perform at This Year’s Oscars

Gael García Bernal has a date with Oscar

The 39-year-old Mexican actor/filmmaker will perform at this year’s Academy Awards, according to the show’s producers.

Gael García Bernal

Garcia Bernal will be among the artists tackling this year’s Oscar nominated songs.

Garcia Bernal will be joined by Natalia LaFourcade and Miguel to sing Remember Me” from Disney/Pixar’s Coco; with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Garcia Bernal voiced the character of deceased songwriter Héctor Rivera in the animated film, and his character wrote the song.

Other performers include Mary J. Blige, Andra Day, Keala Settle, Sufjan Stevens and Common.

Blige will perform “Mighty River.” Blige performed the song for Mudbound, and she’s nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category. Blige wrote the Oscar-nominated song with Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson.

Common and Andra Day will perform his Oscar-nominated song “Stand Up For Something” from Marshall, his collaboration with Diane Warren.

Settle will perform the Oscar-nominated song “This is Me from The Greatest Showman.

Stevens will perform his Oscar-nominated songMystery of Love,” written for Call Me by Your Name.

“We’re excited to have these talented artists showcase the powerful contribution music makes to film making,” said De Luca and Todd. “It’s a privilege to welcome them to the 90th Oscars stage.”

The Jimmy Kimmel-hosted show is set for Sunday, March 4.