Rachel Zegler has quickly become a standout in big-screen adaptations. Last year, she graced the screens as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a dystopian action-drama exploring the origins of Panem’s infamous games. Next year, she is set to star as the titular fairy tale character in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White.
Although the movie has attracted a lot of controversy for various reasons, fans’ opinions of the film seem to have positively shifted after watching the recently leaked trailer. What is even more exciting about this trailer is that some have managed to spot a reference from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in one particular scene.
Leaked Snow White Trailer Has a Hunger Games Prequel Reference That You Might Miss
Based on the 1812 eponymous fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, Snow White is one of the popular animated Disney movies that was released almost a century ago. This upcoming film follows in the footsteps of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, which have been made into live-action films over the past few years.
In August this year, a teaser trailer for the film was released which gave fans a glimpse at what was heading their way in the new musical reimagining of the tale. Recently, a new trailer of the movie was played at an AMC theatre before Ariana Grande’s musical, Wicked, started. A fan at the theatre managed to record the trailer and posted it online which has sparked widespread discussion about different aspects.
One of these things is a scene in the trailer in which Rachel Zegler‘s Snow White can be seen offering a piece of bread to the character, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap). This scene looks like a reference to a scene in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and some fans have been quick to point this out.
— ab 𖦹 ☼ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ (@positionserapov) November 22, 2024
Hunger Games???????!!!!!! https://t.co/LvE7SLNqXO pic.twitter.com/kaHQ22RK36
— Chris 🕸️ (@NotChrisG1) November 22, 2024
In the Hunger Games prequel, Tom Blyth’s Coriolanus Snow is Zegler’s character Lucy Gray Baird’s mentor. While Lucy is caged at the Capitol Zoo, he sneaks food to her to sustain her which illustrates Snow’s conflicted motivations, blending compassion with calculated self-interest as he navigates the Hunger Games mentorship.
Rachel Zegler Clarified Whether There Will be Romance in Snow White or Not
In the summer of 2022, Zegler’s comments about Snow White came off as disdain about the animated classic when she said that her version of the iconic heroine will not spend her time pining over a man. The internet was quick to turn on her and called her out. However, later it turned out that her words might have been taken out of context.
In an interview with Variety, Zegler clarified that she did not mean there will be no romance in the film. She explained:
I would never want to box someone in and say, ‘If you want love, then you can’t work.’ Or ‘If you want to work, then you can’t have a family.’ It’s not true. It’s never been true. […] The love story is very integral. A lot of people wrote that we weren’t doing [that storyline] anymore — we were always doing that; it just wasn’t what we were talking about on that day.
Andrew Burnap’s character, Jonathan who looks straight out of a fairytale in the trailer, is Snow White’s love interest in the film. So, romance is definitely not out of the question. That said, the official release of the trailer might happen soon now that it has already been leaked.
Snow White is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 21, 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hunger Games reference fans spotted in the leaked Snow White trailer?
Fans pointed to a scene where Rachel Zegler’s Snow White offers a piece of bread to Andrew Burnap’s character, Jonathan. They noted it visually echoes The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, in which Coriolanus Snow sneaks food to Lucy Gray Baird (also played by Zegler) while she is held at the Capitol Zoo. It is a fan observation rather than a confirmed deliberate nod from Disney.
How did the Snow White trailer leak online?
According to the article, a new trailer was shown at an AMC theater ahead of the musical Wicked, and an attendee recorded it and posted the footage online. The leak sparked wide discussion among fans about the film.
Does Disney’s live-action Snow White include a romance?
Yes. Rachel Zegler clarified to Variety that earlier remarks were taken out of context and that the love story is integral to the film, saying that storyline was always part of it. Andrew Burnap plays Jonathan, described as Snow White’s love interest. The film was released in theaters on March 21, 2025.
