Frank Darabont Among Those On 'Snow White And The Huntsman' Sequel Director Short List

Whether you loved, hated, embraced or ignored Snow White and the Huntman, there's one sure fire way to make most of us interested in a sequel. Hire Frank Darabont to direct it. And that might happen.

The Shawshank Redemption filmmaker, who last directed The Mist in 2007, is among the names Universal is reportedly looking at to direct the hopeful 2016 release Snow White and the Huntsman 2 starring Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart. The other two, more realistic options, are Gavin O'Connor (Warrior) and Andy Muschietti (Mama).Deadline broke the news of the short list.

I think even O'Connor and Muschietti would agree Darabont is the most exciting choice on this list. Since directing the underrated film The Mist, Darabont helped launch The Walking Dead as a hit series (before a controversial departure) and then tried his hands at another show with TNT's Mob City, which was cancelled after one season. He's had a long string of disappointments (including his Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull script) over the past decade. A simple studio sequel like this could really be a way for him to get back into Hollywood's good graces.

O'Connor, who has made some really solid, small movies such as Warrior over the years, is currently completing the troubled production Jane Got A Gun. If he's up for this, he probably impressed executives with taking all those pieces and making them into something worth while.

Then there's Muschietti, who did Mama then signed on to reboot The Mummy (hey – that's kind of funny), before leaving that film. What's odd is Mummy and Huntsman are both Universal so if he's still up for a big film like this, maybe they understand why he left The Mummy. And that doesn't necessarily bode too well for that project.

Hemsworth has cleared his schedule post-Avengers: Age of Ultron to film this project. Deadline says an announcement should be made soon. If Darabont directs, I'll be interested. The first film wasn't awful in my eyes. Just forgettable. But if the other guys direct, as much as I respect their work, it'll be far less exciting.

What are your thoughts on the Snow White and the Huntsman 2 short list?