Despite possessing a title that arguably sounds like a Stephen King movie, the fact that The Huntsman is actually just a spinoff of a heavily altered fairy tale meant to capitalize on Chris Hemsworth’s fame must have just dawned on Frank Darabont. In other words, Deadline reports that the director has left the sequel to Snow White And The Huntsman.
The change doesn’t seem to be altering the studio’s plans for the film, as it’s keeping the release date of April 22, 2016. Emily Blunt is reportedly close to signing on, and given the already-reported news that Snow White herself—played by Kristen Stewart in the first film—will probably not appear, perhaps Blunt’s character’s name can be stuck into the title to keep the catchy Blank Blank And The Huntsman moniker. The cause of Darabont’s departure is ostensibly “creative differences,” and the partnership ended amicably, which is probably a nice change of pace for Darabont. Also, he may have left after actually watching the first film and realizing that he would be directing a sequel about a guy whose sole character trait is “good at swinging an ax.”