Things might get a little tense between co-stars Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart on the set of the upcoming Universal movie "Snow White and the Huntsman."
Theron, who'll be playing the queen in the picture, and Stewart, who'll be Snow White, were on hand for a "Snow White" panel at Comic-Con on Saturday. When asked by the moderator if she planned on giving the younger Stewart any pointers, Theron responded, "We've only met each other very briefly, but just in that small amount of time I can tell you that she's going to give me a run for my money."
Then, turning to her co-star-to be, she cautioned, "I'm ready for you bitch, let's go!"
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Theron was kidding — probably — but producer Joe Roth made no bones about how "Huntsman," which goes into production in the U.K. in a few days, measures up against Relativity Media's competing Snow White production, which will star Julia Roberts and Lily Collins.
"They are two very different projects; our movie I like to think of as on a par with 'Lord of the Rings' in terms of size and scope," Roth said. "I can't speak for the other movie but from the images it seems like a softer version."
Noted director Rupert Sanders, "It's not a little girl sitting by a well with little tweety-birds."
Also see: 'Snow White and the Huntsman': First Look
Nonetheless, Roth said the box office will most likely have room for both films, which open just weeks apart from each other ("Huntsman" opens June 1, while Relativity's Snow White project hits screens on March 16).
"The fact is, people are interested in these kinds of movies or they're not," Roth opined.
Preliminary images of the characters shown during the panel indicate that "Huntsman" will, indeed, be a much darker-than-usual version of the classic fairy tale. A shot of Stewart in character revealed an armor-clad woman bearing a shield and some serious weaponry.
"She has this amazing ability to channel fear into this really driving energy," Stewart said of her character's appeal. "She truly doesn't let her heart cloud her mind … also, I get to use a sword, and stuff."
Also read: 'Snow White' vs. 'Snow White': We Rank the 2 Projects on Our New PowerGrid
Stewart will likely need that sword, if Theron's description of her character the Queen is any indication.
"Trust me, she's dark — she's a serial killer. I'm pretty much getting ready to play a serial killer," she said. "Watch out, Kristen."
Maybe she wasn't kidding, after all.