Johnny Depp offered Snow White and the Huntsman

Earlier this week there was talk of Inception actor Tom Hardy circling the lead role in Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman, however according to The Wrap Hardy will be busy with The Dark Knight Rises, so producer Joe Roth has offered the role to Johnny Depp.

This must be a bit of an ego boost for Hardy being first choice over Mr. Depp, but apparently the “producers doubted they could get Depp” initially, so have only now sent out the offer. The role would be that of the Huntsman, who is hired by the evil queen to track down her runaway stepdaughter, the fairest in all the land. When he realizes that the queen intends to kill Snow White, he helps her escape, and the pair go on the run.

Joe Roth produced Alice in Wonderland so this would see him re-teaming with Depp, but it is not clear yet whether the actor would want the role. He has already delved into re-making classic Disney tales, and Tim Burton may require him early next year for Dark Shadows. He may also be lining up Kathryn Bigelow’s Sleeping Dogs and The Lone Ranger with Gore Verbinski.

As for who will play the evil queen, Ravenna, Angelina Jolie was mentioned last week, but recently Charlize Theron has been linked to the role. Nothing has been confirmed yet but it looks like Universal are hoping to re-create the success Disney had with Alice in Wonderland, and they want big names involved.

Snow White and the Huntsman has a release date of December 21, 2012, and Universal aim to begin production early next year with newcomer Rupert Sanders directing.