Gal Gadot has expressed strong interest in returning to Disney for a Snow White sequel, despite the live-action film's disappointing box office performance and numerous controversies that plagued its release earlier this year.
Actress Defies Box Office Disappointment
The 40-year-old Israeli actress confirmed she would love to reprise her role as the Evil Queen during an appearance at the Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai Snow Ball Gala on Thursday evening. Gadot received the Hollywood Icon Award at the prestigious event where she made her feelings clear about returning to the franchise.
Speaking to Us Weekly, Gadot enthusiastically declared: "I would love to do that. Yes. Tell [Disney CEO] Bob [Iger]. Bob, I'll do that." Her comments come despite the film's lacklustre commercial performance when it premiered in March under director Marc Webb.
Behind-the-Scenes Tensions and Political Controversies
The Snow White remake faced significant challenges even before its release, with speculation emerging about tensions between Gadot and her co-star Rachel Zegler during the press tour. The 24-year-old actress played the title role opposite Gadot's Evil Queen.
Industry insiders suggested the conflict stemmed from their differing views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Gadot being notably from Israel. The situation appeared to escalate when fans recently noticed that Zegler had unfollowed Gadot on Instagram.
The film also faced criticism for its politically correct approach to the 1937 original cartoon. In 2022, Zegler defended the contemporary interpretation, telling Vanity Fair: "It needed that." However, actor Peter Dinklage later criticised Disney for remaking what he called a "backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together."
Premiere Cancellation and Box Office Fallout
Amid growing backlash, Disney took the unusual step of cancelling the large-scale premiere planned for Leicester Square in London. A source told People at the time: "Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled press events."
The source added: "That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimising the amount of press questions that Rachel Zegler gets."
In August, Gadot initially pointed to anti-Israel sentiment as a factor in the film's box office failure during an interview with Israeli TV show The A Talks. However, she later clarified her comments on Instagram Stories to her 107 million followers.
The Wonder Woman star explained: "Sometimes we respond to questions from an emotional place. When the film came out, I felt that those who are against Israel criticised me in a very personal, almost visceral way." She acknowledged that "the film didn't fail solely because of external pressures" and noted that "success is never guaranteed" in the film industry.
