Variety - After a long and bumpy ride, Universal's search for a male lead in "Snow White and the Huntsman" may finally be coming to an end.Studio has put out an offer to Chris Hemsworth, officially opening negotiations for the "Thor" star to take on the role opposite Kristen Stewart, who's locked for the iconic fairy tale character. Studio had no comment on talks.
Variety first reported last week that Hemsworth was a front-runner for the role, but the actor was weighing options as his star-making turn as the God of Thunder approached.
The project has always revolved around the relationship between the title character and the huntsman, who's ordered to kill the heroine by the evil queen (Charleze Theron). In this version, the huntsman decides intstead to help the girl escape, becoming her protector and mentor.
News of Hemsworth's deal comes on the heals of Universal starting negotiations with Sam Claflin to play the young prince and love interest of the Snow White character. Rupert Sanders attached to direct, with Evan Daugherty penning the script and Roth and Palak Patel producing.
When Hemsworth's name first came up, talk turned to the studio looking for someone younger than previous candidates. Variety first reported that Viggo Mortensen, 52, was originally offered the role in January, but the sides couldn't reach a deal and parted ways. Hugh Jackman, who's 42, was also offered the role, but eventually passed. At some point, 37-year-old Joel Edgerton's name was alson in the mix.
But sources tell Variety that Hemsworth (27) can play much older, while Claflin plays much younger than his looks.
Universal also took advantage of the fact that Hemsworth upcoming schedule is fairly thin, courting him for the role before any other studio had the opportunity.
With "Thor" having grossed $235 million worldwide so far, Hemsworth's profile rose with a bullet. If he chooses to play the huntsman, it'll be quite the prize for Universal.
With only the role of the queen's henchman, Finn, yet to be cast, it looks as if project is on schedule to hits its September start date.
Hemsworth is about to start filming "The Avengers," which looked at one point like it could present a scheduling problem -- though now that the offer's on the table, it appears they've worked that out.
Hemsworth is repped by IFA Talent Agency and ROAR.
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