Rachel Zegler, the 24-year-old star who skyrocketed to fame as María in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021), faced a career-defining setback with Disney’s live-action Snow White (released March 21, 2025), a $270 million remake that flopped spectacularly, grossing just $154 million globally and costing Disney an estimated $115 million loss, per The Daily Mail. Plagued by production woes, mixed reviews, and relentless online backlash over Zegler’s casting and controversial comments, the film became a lightning rod for cultural debates. Yet, undeterred, Zegler is forging ahead, revealing in a recent Variety interview that she met with Halle Bailey, star of The Little Mermaid (2023), to explore an ambitious vision: a interconnected Disney Princess Cinematic Universe for film and streaming. This bold move, blending nostalgia with modern storytelling, could redefine Zegler’s career and Disney’s live-action strategy.

The Snow White debacle tested Zegler’s resilience, with critics and fans alike blaming her outspoken social media presence and remarks about the 1937 original for alienating audiences. But Zegler, backed by Bailey’s camaraderie and her own undeniable talent, is channeling her energy into redemption. Their proposed princess universe—potentially uniting characters like Snow White, Ariel, and others in a shared narrative—promises to captivate fans and reframe Disney’s remakes as a cohesive, forward-thinking saga. This article delves into Zegler’s fall, her determined rise, her meeting with Bailey, the envisioned Disney Princess Universe, and the challenges and excitement surrounding this groundbreaking idea.

The Fall: Snow White’s Tumultuous Journey

Disney’s live-action Snow White, directed by Marc Webb and starring Zegler as the titular princess alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, was poised to be a cornerstone of the studio’s remake strategy. The 1937 original, Disney’s first animated feature, grossed $1.8 billion (adjusted for inflation) and remains a cultural touchstone. Expectations were high for the $270 million remake, with new songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a modernized Snow White as a “leader-in-waiting,” per Variety. Yet, from its 2021 casting announcement, the project courted controversy.

Zegler, of Colombian and Polish descent, faced racist backlash for playing a character described as having “skin as white as snow.” Critics on X, wielding hashtags like #NotMySnowWhite, decried her casting as “woke,” echoing the #NotMyAriel backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in 2019. Zegler’s comments at Disney’s 2022 D23 event fueled the fire: she called the original’s prince a “stalker” and its focus on romance “dated,” emphasizing that her Snow White prioritized leadership over love. The Daily Mail branded this a “woke tirade,” and Variety noted it alienated nostalgic fans, with one top agent lamenting Disney’s failure to “nip it in the bud.”

The film’s troubles didn’t end there. Leaked set photos in 2023, initially called “fake” by Disney, revealed a diverse group replacing the Seven Dwarfs, sparking further outrage over “politically correct” changes. The Hollywood Reporter reported costly reshoots to refine CGI dwarves, criticized as “subpar” by reviewers. Zegler’s social media posts—supporting a ceasefire in January 2024, tweeting “Free Palestine” in August 2024, and criticizing Trump supporters in November 2024—intensified the backlash, leading to death threats against co-star Gadot and a studio-funded social media guru to vet Zegler’s posts. Variety reported Disney scaled back the premiere and delayed ticket pre-orders, signaling doubts about the film’s viability.

The box office results were grim. Opening to $24 million domestically, Snow White fizzled against competitors like The Conjuring: Last Rites ($194 million globally), per Rotten Tomatoes. Critics were mixed: CinemaBlend praised Zegler’s “vibrant” performance, but Indiewire slammed the “dull” CGI and “messy” plot. The New Yorker noted a 91% one-star “review-bombing” campaign on IMDb, reflecting fan discontent. Disney’s former film chief, Sean Bailey, who spearheaded remakes, left in 2024, and the studio paused a planned Tangled remake to reassess its strategy, per The Daily Mail. Jonah Platt, son of producer Marc Platt, publicly blamed Zegler’s “personal politics” for the flop, a claim screenshotted by New York Post before deletion.

The Rise: Zegler’s Path to Redemption

Despite the Snow White disaster, Zegler is not backing down. Her career, built on a Golden Globe-winning turn in West Side Story and a captivating performance as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), showcases her resilience. Indiewire praised her “multiplex marvel” acting in Hunger Games, and her 2024 Broadway debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet earned raves. Her West End debut as Eva Perón in Evita (summer 2025) sold out in under an hour, per Wikipedia, proving her star power endures.

In a September 8, 2025, Variety interview, Zegler revealed a pivotal meeting with Halle Bailey to discuss a Disney Princess Cinematic Universe, an idea sparked by their shared experiences as live-action princesses. The actresses, who first bonded at the 2021 Met Gala, have supported each other through parallel controversies. Bailey, who faced racist backlash for playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid (grossing $569 million globally), praised Zegler’s grace during a 2023 Variety Actors on Actors talk, saying, “You proved them wrong with grace.” Zegler reciprocated, tweeting in 2022, “If you don’t support my girl Halle, who is the perfect Ariel, you don’t support any of us.” Their friendship, rooted in navigating online hate, has fueled a vision to unite Disney’s princesses in a shared narrative.

Zegler’s announcement comes at a critical juncture. Snow White’s failure, coupled with the lukewarm reception of other remakes like Mufasa and Peter Pan and Wendy (shunted to Disney+), has forced Disney to rethink its approach. The Daily Mail reported the studio’s remake fatigue, noting audiences crave originality over “sloppy” rehashes. Zegler and Bailey’s proposed universe could be the answer—a bold, interconnected saga blending nostalgia with modern sensibilities, akin to Marvel’s MCU or Star Wars’s expanded universe.

The Disney Princess Universe: A Vision Unveiled

Zegler described the concept as “a dream to reimagine the Disney Princess legacy as a connected world, where characters like Snow White, Ariel, and others interact in films and streaming series.” She envisioned crossovers, with princesses facing shared challenges, such as a magical threat uniting their kingdoms, or standalone stories linked by a common thread, like a mystical artifact. Bailey, in the Variety interview, suggested streaming miniseries on Disney+ to explore backstories—like Ariel’s early adventures or Snow White’s rise as a leader—complemented by theatrical event films. The idea draws inspiration from Once Upon a Time, ABC’s 2011-2018 series that wove fairy-tale characters into a shared narrative, but aims for a grander, cinematic scope.

The concept has precedent. Disney’s Kingdom Hearts video game series unites princesses like Cinderella and Mulan in a sprawling universe, grossing over $2 billion since 2002, per Forbes. The Princess and the Frog was planned as a Disney+ series before cancellation, hinting at the studio’s interest in serialized princess stories, per The New Yorker. Zegler and Bailey’s pitch could include upcoming remakes like Lilo & Stitch (2025) and Moana (2026), with rumors of a Tangled remake offering further potential, per CinemaBlend. Variety speculated that Brandy, who played Cinderella in 1997, could return as a mentor figure, given her public support for Zegler: “Rachel will be an inspiration to little girls who look like her.”

The universe would prioritize diversity and empowerment, reflecting Zegler and Bailey’s casting as Latina and Black princesses. Zegler told Variety: “We want every child to see themselves in these stories, not just as princesses waiting for rescue, but as leaders, friends, and heroes.” Bailey echoed this, citing her Little Mermaid role as a milestone for Black representation. Their vision aligns with Disney’s recent push for inclusive casting, seen in Aladdin (2019) and Mulan (2020), though not without controversy, as Lilo & Stitch’s casting of Sydney Elizabeth Agudong sparked debate over Pacific Islander representation.

The Challenges: Navigating Backlash and Studio Hesitation

The princess universe faces hurdles. Snow White’s failure has made Disney cautious, with The Daily Mail reporting a pause on Tangled to reassess remakes. The studio’s $115 million loss and mixed reviews—The Guardian called Snow White “messy”—highlight the risk of alienating nostalgic fans. Zegler’s comments about the 1937 film’s “dated” gender roles, while resonating with some, were seen as a misstep by City AM’s Victoria Luxford, who noted that “criticizing nostalgia doesn’t sell nostalgia.” Reddit users on r/disneyprincess accused Zegler of being “disingenuous” for later praising Disney after her initial critiques, with u/kyrencrossing calling her a “PR nightmare.”

Zegler’s social media presence remains a lightning rod. Her 2024 posts supporting a ceasefire and criticizing Trump supporters led to boycott threats and review-bombing, per Variety. Disney’s hiring of a social media guru to vet her posts underscores the studio’s concern, especially after death threats against Gadot, who is Israeli. The New Yorker argued that blaming Zegler for Snow White’s failure is “perversely flattering,” pointing to structural issues like poor CGI and an oversaturated remake market. Still, Disney may hesitate to greenlight a costly universe with Zegler at the forefront, fearing further backlash.

Bailey’s involvement could mitigate this. Her Little Mermaid success—$569 million globally and a Disney+ streaming record—proves her bankability, per EW. Her grace in handling racist backlash, praised by Zegler in Variety’s Actors on Actors, positions her as a stabilizing force. However, both actresses face the challenge of uniting fans split by “culture wars,” as film critic Kelechi Ehenulo told BBC. A princess universe must balance nostalgia with innovation, avoiding the “sloppy” pitfalls of recent remakes like Pinocchio, per The Daily Mail.

The Excitement: A Game-Changing Opportunity

The proposed universe has ignited fan excitement. On X, @DisneyDreamer22 tweeted: “Rachel Zegler and Halle Bailey teaming up for a Disney Princess Universe? Shut up and take my money! #PrincessPower.” @FilmFanaticX posted: “Imagine Snow White and Ariel fighting a shared villain. This could save Disney’s remakes.” The concept taps into the MCU’s success, where interconnected stories grossed $29 billion, per Box Office Mojo. A princess universe could replicate this, blending theatrical blockbusters with Disney+ series to maximize reach.

Zegler’s talent is a major draw. Her Evita performance earned standing ovations, and her Hunger Games role showcased her vocal and emotional range, per Indiewire. Bailey’s soulful Ariel and upcoming role in The Color Purple (2023) cement her as a versatile star. Together, they could anchor a universe featuring princesses like Mulan, Tiana, or Rapunzel, with crossovers akin to Avengers but rooted in fairy-tale magic. CinemaBlend noted that Lilo & Stitch and Moana remakes could integrate seamlessly, expanding the universe’s scope.

Disney’s streaming platform is ideal for this vision. The Mandalorian and WandaVision proved Disney+’s ability to deliver serialized hits, with 54 million subscribers by 2025, per Statista. A princess miniseries could explore untold stories—like Snow White’s training as a leader or Ariel’s underwater diplomacy—while theatrical films deliver epic team-ups. Variety suggested a budget of $50 million per series and $200 million per film, leveraging Disney’s $180 billion market cap to fund the venture.

Public and Industry Reaction

Fans are divided but hopeful. On Reddit’s r/disneyprincess, u/nathan_banks644 praised Bailey’s “adorable” Ariel but criticized Zegler’s “prince-less” narrative as a studio-driven misstep, alleging Disney used her as a “stalking horse” to absorb backlash. Others, like @PrincessVibes on X, cheered: “Rachel and Halle are the future of Disney. A princess universe would be iconic. #RepresentationMatters.” Critics see potential, with Screen Daily calling it “a bold pivot from remake fatigue.” However, The Hollywood Reporter cautioned that Disney must “manage Zegler’s public image” to avoid further controversy.

Brandy’s support, voiced in CinemaBlend, adds credibility: “Rachel will inspire little girls who look like her.” The 1997 Cinderella star’s multicultural cast set a precedent for inclusive storytelling, which Zegler and Bailey aim to emulate. Industry insiders are intrigued but skeptical, with Variety noting Disney’s reluctance to commit post-Snow White. Still, Bailey’s proven draw and Zegler’s rising stage career suggest they could sway the studio.

Cultural Context: A New Era for Disney Princesses

The princess universe aligns with Disney’s push for diversity, seen in casting like Bailey’s Ariel and Naomi Scott’s Jasmine. A 2023 Journal of Media Studies report found 70% of Gen Z audiences value inclusive representation, but 40% of older fans resist changes to classics. Zegler and Bailey’s vision could bridge this gap, offering fresh stories while honoring nostalgia. The New Yorker argued that Snow White’s failure reflects industry issues—overreliance on IP and poor creative choices—making a universe a chance to innovate.

Zegler’s comments about “choosing thankfulness” over hate, shared with Bailey in Variety’s Actors on Actors, resonate with their goal to inspire. Bailey’s Little Mermaid broke streaming records, proving diverse casting can succeed despite backlash. A princess universe could normalize such representation, ensuring it’s not “the first in X years,” as Zegler told Newsweek.

Conclusion: A Star on the Rise

Rachel Zegler’s journey from Snow White’s fallout to envisioning a Disney Princess Universe with Halle Bailey is a testament to her tenacity. The $115 million flop tested her, but her talent, bolstered by Bailey’s support and a bold vision, positions her to reshape Disney’s legacy. A princess universe—blending film, streaming, and diverse storytelling—could redeem Zegler’s image and revitalize Disney’s remakes. As she prepares for Evita and beyond, Zegler’s rise proves that even after a fall, a true star can shine brighter than ever.