Frank Darabont in Talks to Direct 'The Huntsman' Sequel...Without Kristen Stewart?

Snow White and the Huntsman may not stick out in your head as a blockbuster worthy of a sequel. But anytime a film with an A-list cast pulls in almost $400 million in worldwide grosses, odds are somebody, somewhere is planning round two.

So it’s no great surprise that The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap are reporting that Tinseltown has something cooking. Frank Darabont (TV’s The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption) may helm a sequel (or perhaps a spin-off) to the 2012 flick starring Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Hemsworth.

Theron and Hemsworth are due to return, but when it comes to Stewart, the Magic 8 Ball reads, “Outlook not so good.” The Hollywood Reporter writes that Stewart, who is arguably the biggest star of the trio, won’t be back at all. The Wrap poses the possibility that she may return but with a much smaller, cameo-size role.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported that Stewart might not be back for the franchise’s second entry in 2012. Universal, the studio behind the films, denied the report at the time. Now, though, it appears those original claims might’ve been closer to the truth.

Those who follow the gossip world will no doubt remember the scandal that engulfed the original film’s release in 2012. Stewart, then dating her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, was photographed canoodling with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, who was married at the time to model and actress Liberty Ross.

The story was tabloid fodder for months, though it broke weeks after the film was released. Stewart issued a public apology to Pattinson that read in part, “This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob.” The pair would later part ways, as would Sanders and Ross.

Photo credits: Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection, FameFlynet