Rachel Zegler joins long list of actresses who have played Snow White

The casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Walt Disney’s upcoming feature film was controversial in part because that movie would have you believe that she’s more attractive than evil queen Gal Gadot. Clearly the magic mirror on the wall is lying or blind.
Zegler is cute but she’s no statuesque beauty like Gadot.
Some say Zegler was a diversity hire for the part because she’s mixed race, half Latina, and not lily white like the German fairy tale. But I don’t think it would have been an issue if Disney had just cast a knockout beauty as Snow White.
By that measure, the most controversial casting as Snow White should have been Camryn Manheim in “The 10th Kingdom” (2000). She’s definitely not a beauty queen.
Zegler joins a long list of actresses who have played Snow White. I’ve put together a list of actresses who have played the character in U.S. movies and TV shows. There’s also been quite a few European productions. In Germany, her character is called Schneewittchen.

Actresses who have played Snow White in U.S. movies and TV shows

• Marguerite Clark, “Snow White” (1916)
• Carol Heiss, “Snow White and the Three Stooges” (1961)
• Elizabeth McGovern, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” episode (1984) of “Faerie Tale Theatre”
• Sarah Patterson, “Snow White” (1987)
• Monica Keena, “Snow White: A Tale of Terror” (1997)
• Camryn Manheim, “The 10th Kingdom” (2000)
• Kristin Kreuk, “Snow White: The Fairest of Them All” (2001)
• Ginnifer Goodwin, “Once Upon a Time” (2011-2017)
• Kristen Stewart, “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012)
• Lily Collins, “Mirror Mirror” (2012)
• Eliza Bennett, “Grimm’s Snow White” (2012)
• Shanley Caswell, “Snow White: A Deadly Summer” (2012)
• Stephanie Bennett, “Descendants” (2015)
• Lauren Parkinson, “Avengers Grimm” (2015)
• Jennifer Mischiati, “Snow White’s Christmas Adventure” (2023)
• Rachel Zegler, “Snow White” (2025)

I previously wrote about actresses who have played Snow White back in 2017 and included photos of some of the women. Check out “Actresses who have played Snow White in U.S. movies and TV shows.”

Photos: Rachel Zegler as Snow White (top); poster for Disney’s “Snow White” (2025), scheduled for release on March 21.

10 noteworthy TV dramas that never aired

I recently argued that television studios should make their unaired TV pilots available for viewing.
I’m particularly interested in dramas that were filmed but never released.
What follows is a list of some of them.

Wonder Woman (2011, NBC)

In 2011, NBC canceled plans to air “Wonder Woman,” starring Adrianne Palicki as the DC Comics superhero. The show, produced by David E. Kelley, reportedly had script problems and costume issues.
The unaired pilot was back in the news last month with the release of the big-screen movie “Wonder Woman 1984,” starring Gal Gadot as the title character. That’s because Pedro Pascal acted in both the failed pilot and “WW84.” Cary Elwes, Elizabeth Hurley and Tracie Thoms also acted in the unaired NBC show. (See article by Vulture for more details on the train wreck of a pilot.)

Marvel’s Most Wanted (2016, ABC)

Speaking of Adrianne Palicki, she’s been in several failed pilots. In addition to “Wonder Woman,” she was in a reboot of “Lost in Space” directed by John Woo and a pilot for “Aquaman” about the DC Comics superhero, both of which were not picked up as series.
She also starred in a pilot for an “Agents of SHIELD” spin-off called “Marvel’s Most Wanted.”  The show would have followed Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird (Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) after they were forced to leave SHIELD in season three. The pilot also starred Delroy Lindo. But ABC decided not to pick up the show.

Locke & Key (2011, Fox)

Before Netflix made a hit series out of “Locke & Key,” Fox tried to adapt horror author Joe Hill’s best-selling graphic novel. The pilot was directed by Mark Romanek, written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and produced by Steven Spielberg. Fox reportedly passed on the series due to its rising production cost.

Day One (2010, NBC)

In 2010, NBC scrapped a post-apocalyptic alien invasion series called “Day One” after filming the pilot. Alex Graves (“Fringe” and “Game of Thrones”) directed the pilot, which starred David Lyons, Julie Gonzalo, Carly Pope, Thekla Reuten and Xander Berkeley.

Hieroglyph (2014, Fox)

In 2014, Fox pulled the plug on an ambitious Ancient Egypt drama series called “Hieroglyph.” The show was described as a sexy historical-fantasy thriller. The pilot starred Max Brown, Reece Ritchie, Condola Rashad and John Rhys-Davies. The show was from creator/executive producer Travis Beacham (“Pacific Rim” and “Clash of the Titans.”)
According to the show’s official description, the drama followed a “notorious thief who is plucked from prison to serve the Pharaoh, forcing him to navigate palace intrigue, seductive concubines, criminal underbellies and divine sorcerers, as he races to stop the downfall of one of history’s greatest civilizations.”

Beverly Hills Cop (2013, CBS)

In 2013, CBS decided not to move ahead with a TV series based on the popular “Beverly Hills Cop” film series. Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men In Black”) directed the pilot, which featured a cameo appearance by Eddie Murphy as his character Axel Foley from the movies. The pilot starred Brandon T. Jackson as Foley’s detective son Aaron.

Da Brick (2011, HBO)

In 2011, HBO passed on a series called “Da Brick,” which was loosely based on boxing legend Mike Tyson’s youth. Acclaimed director Spike Lee helmed the pilot, which starred John Boyega (“Attack the Block” and “Star Wars”).

Midnight Sun (2012, NBC)

In 2012, NBC passed on “Midnight Sun,” a drama about an Alaskan cult being investigated by an FBI cult specialist. Brad Anderson (“Transsiberian”) directed the pilot, which starred Julia Stiles, Titus Welliver and David Harbour.

The Selection (2013, The CW)

The CW filmed two pilots based on the book “The Selection” by Kiera Cass. The story is set 300 years in the future and centers on a working-class young woman chosen by lottery to participate in a competition with 25 other women for the Royal Prince’s hand to become the nation’s next queen.
The first pilot in 2012 starred Aimee Teegarden and the second pilot in 2013 starred Yael Grobglas. The second pilot was considered vastly superior to the first but was still not picked up as a series.
Now Netflix is adapting the book for a series.

The Sixth Gun (2013, NBC)

In 2013, NBC ordered a pilot drama based on the best-selling supernatural graphic novel “The Sixth Gun.” The novel told the story of six mythical guns, each with its own other-worldly powers. The pilot starred Michiel Huisman, Laura Ramsey, Elena Satine and Pedro Pascal.

Favorite websites in review, part 14

Over the past 10 years, Tech-media-tainment has shined a spotlight on more than 350 interesting and entertaining websites.
What follows is the latest roundup of 25 websites given the seal of approval by Tech-media-tainment.

326. Media Literacy Clearinghouse: Donald Trump Magazines (frankwbaker.com/mlc/donald-trump-magazines-illustration/)
327. Democracy in Action: Magazine Cover Portrayal of Donald Trump (p2016.org/covers/coverstrump.html)
328. Internet Archive (archive.org)
329. Know Your Meme (knowyourmeme.com)
330. Emily Ratajkowski on Instagram (instagram.com/emrata)
331. Reelgood (reelgood.com)
332. OwlKitty (owl-kitty.com)
333. Stepping Through Film (instagram.com/steppingthroughfilm)
334. Doug Gilford’s Mad Cover Site (madcoversite.com)
335. Netflix Center
336. Next Flicks
337. The TV Answerman (tvanswerman.com)
338. Post Apocalyptic Salvaged Ware (pinterest.co.uk/markcordory/post-apocalyptic-salvaged-ware)
339. Mark Cordory Creations (markcordory.com)
340. Killed by Google (killedbygoogle.com)
341. Creative Commons (creativecommons.org)
342. Vintage Libertyville, Illinois (facebook.com/groups/116515778372382)
343. Libertyville Memories of the 70’s (facebook.com/groups/179932188719536)
344. You know you grew up in Libertyville, IL because you remember... (facebook.com/groups/238118279560656)
345. Vanished Chicagoland (facebook.com/vanishedchicagoland)
346. Premakes (youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1F5BA3F019C6FC48)
347. 80s Style Trailers (youtube.com/user/weareplayback/featured)
348. Darth Blender (youtube.com/channel/UCNk23QirczyHmmlxrO5QJbQ/featured)
349. Eclectic Method (youtube.com/user/eclecticmethod/featured)
350. Postmodern Jukebox (postmodernjukebox.com)

Photo: Gal Gadot in “Wonder Woman” from Stepping Through Film (Thomas Duke)

Celebrities as honorary tech executives making a comeback

Several years ago, there was a short-lived trend toward tech companies giving celebrity spokespeople executive titles. It was derided as a marketing ploy and eventually died off. But now it’s back.
At CES 2018, Chinese electronics firm Huawei (pronounced wow-way) announced that actress Gal Gadot is its “chief experience officer.”
“In this new role, Ms. Gadot will help shape the company’s brand experiences and play an active role in listening to and providing ongoing ideas to inform how Huawei will bring the best experiences to its consumers,” Huawei said in a press release. What a bunch of mumbo jumbo.
TechCrunch summed it up well in its coverage of the announcement.
“These sorts of titles are often little more than ceremonial, of course, and Gadot’s involvement with the company could ultimately amount to simply appearing in ads and posting her Huawei-related experiences on social media,” TechCrunch writer Brian Heater said.
Gadot earlier this month was also named global ambassador for Revlon’s Live Boldly campaign.
Her appointment at Huawei follows several other celebrities getting roles at tech companies in recent months.
In October, British music tech startup Roli named producer, songwriter and performer Pharrell Williams as its chief creative officer. Williams also will invest and become a co-owner of Roli, Business Insider reported.
In November, Verizon’s Oath, the company formed from AOL and Yahoo, announced a board of advisers filled with famous athletes and models.
Professional tennis player Serena Williams is chairing the board. Other board members include Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, singer Ciara, rapper Chuck D and supermodel Karlie Kloss, according to Fierce Cable.
Last year, Wired published an article on the last wave of celebrities as tech executives. (See “The Brief, Bumbling Tech Careers of Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Gwen Stefani.”)
In 2013, mobile phone maker BlackBerry named singer Alicia Keys its global creative officer.
“The move was part of a short-lived trend in which legacy tech businesses struggling for reputational bling named celebrities as creative directors,” Wired writer Jessi Hempel noted. “In 2005, HP brought Gwen Stefani on as a creative director. In 2010, Lady Gaga landed the job of creative director at Polaroid. In 2011, Will.i.am was the director of creative innovation at Intel. In 2012, Microsoft brought on Jessica Alba as creative director to promote its Windows Phone 8. These roles were all touted as far more involved than the mere celebrity pitchman. The artists promised, to varying degrees, to dive into the business.”
None of those business arrangements amounted to more than advertising and marketing deals.
The same is likely true for the current bunch of celebrity tech executives.

Photos: Actress Gal Gadot pitching Huawei smartphones.

Clickbait companies love Gal Gadot

Clickbait companies have fallen in love with the ravishing Gal Gadot. The “Wonder Woman” actress has appeared in clickbait articles recently from at least three different publishers distributed by Taboola.
What follows are some examples.

Sticking with the Wonder Woman theme, clickbait purveyors also are pushing pictorials featuring 1970s “Wonder Woman” actress Lynda Carter.