Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt helps Snow White learn kung fu

There’s been lots of buzz about the race to get a new SNOW WHITE to theaters — Universal is eyeing Viggo Mortensen for their Huntsman, and director Tarsem Singh is seeking appropriate humans for Relativity’s 3D version of the fairy tale.

Meanwhile, Disney has been quietly getting their dwarfs in a row on their own SNOW AND THE SEVEN. The Mouse House has brought in TOY STORY 3 writer Michael Arndt (celebrating his latest Oscar nomination — he already has a statue for LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) to tackle the story, which has already gone through several drafts with other writers.

The long-in-development version is an “East meets West” update of the classic fairy tale set in a British colony in China during the late 19th century. It follows a young woman and the seven Shaolin monks who believe she holds the key to the future within her deathblow-dealing hands.

Francis Lawrence (I AM LEGEND) has been attached to direct, with Natalie Portman previously linked to the kick-ass Snow role and martial arts maestro Yuen Wo Ping (THE MATRIX, IRON MONKEY) choreographing the wire-assisted fisticuffs.