Kristen Stewart in, Rupert Sanders out for 'Snow White and the Huntsman' sequel

Well I'm glad this whole sordid mess has been figured out. For awhile there it looked as if the Snow White and the Huntsman sequel would be moving forward without its star, Kristen Stewart. With rumors already floating around that it would focus more on Chris Hemsworth's Huntsman character, it certainly didn't help that Stewart found herself wrapped up in romantic entanglements with the director, Rupert Sanders, who happens to be very married. Maybe not much longer, but we'll see.

Universal quickly took a boot to those rumors and said Stewart was still very much in their plans, but it always could have been the infamous "show of support" that precedes a quick firing. No such show of support was given for Sanders, however. Besides, it never really seemed likely he would return just as a means of helping to save his broken marriage. Stewart has managed to conveniently hook back up with Robert Pattinson in time to hype The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. It's all for show, people.

RadarOnline now has an anonymous source who says Universal is prepared to proceed with the sequel with Stewart on board, but Sanders is a definite bye-bye. Here's the relevant portion....

"The script has already been written and production will begin late next year," a source close to the situation tells Radar. "However, Rupert Sanders definitely won't be a part of the project. Rupert didn't want to be a part of it to begin with because he is desperately still trying to save his marriage. The search is still on for a new director."

The story goes on to say that Stewart is extremely "panicked" over her career after this latest escapade I guess because she doesn't want to be thought of as a trollop or something. She's worried that Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Ashley Greene or getting more and better projects than her, and that she isn't currently attached to anything. Oh? What about Focus with Ben Affleck? And Scott Cooper's Lie Down in Darkness?  Are those not happening? Anyway, I don't think she's got anything to worry about. So the search for a new director is on, and I'm curious if Universal will again seek out a relatively unknown commodity, or go after someone more established. I don't think there's any fear of Stewart hooking up with Steven Spielberg or Terrence Malick.