Life seems to be pretty darn good for Rachel Zegler — the talented young performer who beat out 30,000 people for the role of Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story. The musical film will mark her feature film debut, but Zegler is already adding new lines to her resume.
Disney has announced that Zegler has been cast as Snow White in its upcoming remake of the fairytale favourite. Suffice to say, this is huge.
Zegler, who went viral in 2018 after posting a video of herself singing Shallow from A Star Is Born on Twitter (a clip that has since been viewed over 11 million times), understands all too well the enormity of this moment, taking once again to her social media to express her gratitude.
“I HAVE MANIFESTED MY ENTIRE LIFE I THINK I THINK,” she posted, and also shared a video of her meeting the Disney princess with the caption “Homegirl we have LOTS to catch up on.”
In a statement, the film’s director Marc Webb spoke of his excitement at seeing Zegler in the role, saying: “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.”
The film, which does not yet have an official title, is expected to begin production sometime in 2022.
Meanwhile, the actress has more to look forward to as she will also appear in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, alongside Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu.
Originally scheduled to be released on April 1, 2022, Warner Bros. later announced that production for the film was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is expected to premiere on June 2, 2023, so Zegler looks set to be pretty busy for the foreseeable future.
