It has been previously reported that both Universal and Relativity are vying to put together competing live action Snow White Films for 2012. Universal has been hard at work on Snow White and the Huntsman which reportedly is going to star Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Viggo Mortenson, and Relativity is putting together The Brother’s Grimm: Snow White directed by Tarsem Singh, who made 2000’s The Cell.

This has made Disney very angry. Sensing a couple of upstarts treading on their fairy tale turf, they have hired Oscar nominated Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt to pen a Snow White film of their own called Snow and the Seven. This version of the popular tale will take place not in its traditional setting, but in 19^th century China. The story will center on an Englishwoman who travels to Hong Kong for her father’s funeral only to find that she has become the target of her evil stepmother’s scheming. Oscar winning production designer John Myhre has also been brought on to begin to create the look of the film.

While Universal and Relativity will theoretically have the chance to get their Snow White projects made and out to theaters first, this new flurry of activity from the Disney camp can only be sending one message: “Get off of my land!”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter