Preview: Evil queen Charlize Theron in 'Snow White and the Huntsman'

Los Angeles: Charlize Theron's evil queen costumes for 'Snow White and the Huntsman' called for hundreds of hand-cut rooster feathers, thousands of iridescent beetle wings from Thailand and one particularly imposing crown.

The outfits, some of which are on view at an LA pop-up gallery ahead of the film's June 1 opening, represented a host of firsts for Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood.

From the leather piping on the pleats of the queen's wedding gown to the gauzy green metal trim on the beetle-wing dress, the nine-time Oscar nominee and three-time winner experimented with materials for director Rupert Sanders' dark take on the classic fairy tale.

A twist in this fairy tale - 'Snow White and the Huntsman'.
'Snow White and the Huntsman' is an upcoming epic fantasy adventure film.
It has been directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Evan Daugherty.
It is the first film in a planned trilogy.
Kristen Stewart plays the role of Snow White.
Charlize Theron is Ravenna, the Evil Queen.
Chris Hemsworth plays the role of Eric, the Huntsman.
Sam Claflin is Prince Charmant.
Sam Spruell plays the role of Finn, Ravenna's henchman.
And Christopher Obi Ogugua is The Mirror.
The dwarves are played by - Ian McShane as Caesar, Nick Frost as Tiberius, Bob Hoskins as Constantine, Toby Jones as Claudius, Eddie Marsan as Hadrian, Stephen Graham as Nero, Ray Winstone as Trajan, Brian Gleeson as Gus
In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed...
Instead he becomes her protector...
...and mentors her in her quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
Film producers had considered casting a less well-known actress for the role of Snow White.
Riley Keough, Felicity Jones, Bella Heathcote and Alicia Vikander were the possible picks.
However soon this idea became less likely as actresses Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning were rumored to be shortlisted for the role.
At first, Winona Ryder was considered to play Ravenna.
But then the plum role went to Charlize Theron.
It is believed that Johnny Depp turned down the offer to play Eric, the huntsman.
Viggo Mortensen was in negotiations with Universal for the part as well...
But Mortensen ultimately turned down the role.
Hugh Jackman was briefly offered to play the role of the huntsman but he also declined.
'Thor' star Chris Hemsworth was eventually cast in the role of the huntsman.
The major part of the movie shoot has taken place in the United Kingdom.
'Snow White and the Huntsman' may have more to overcome than just one clash with the Evil Queen, says the producers.
Producer Joe Roth told the media that he plans on making the folktale action-adventure movie into a trilogy.
This movie is in a neck-and-neck competition with a rival Snow White film starring Julia Roberts.
The two movies will open roughly two-and-a-half months apart in 2012.
The character of Snow White will be seen as a warrior in training in this movie.

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$Preview: Charlize Theron returns with \'Snow White\'$

The director employed a team of 50 people to help the actors in and out of their elaborate costumes in the film.

"The idea of the fairy tale sets you free in a way because you can make it up," Atwood said. "And I love to make up stuff."

She created an armored ensemble fit for a queen by dressing up chain mail with rolled leather and horsehair trim and topping it off with a particularly pointy metal crown.

"We wanted to have a formidable silhouette," Atwood said, "and from a distance it's spooky with the crown and her height and everything." (Theron stands nearly six feet tall, the designer added.)

In Sanders' version of the Snow White story, Kristen Stewart portrays the only woman in the land fairer than Theron's evil queen Ravenna. The queen dispatches a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill the young woman, but instead he becomes her mentor and protector.

Atwood took on the project after finishing work on Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows,' starring Johnny Depp. Atwood and Burton are frequent and successful collaborators: Her most recent Oscar was for his 2010 film 'Alice in Wonderland,' and she earned nominations for her costumes in Burton's 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' and 'Sleepy Hollow.'

Atwood's 'Snow White' costumes are miles - and eras - away from 'Dark Shadows.'

"They don't resemble each other in any way," she said, "so it was fun to shift from one to the other and have a whole different world to think about."

And slide right into. 'Snow White' director Sanders said Atwood's wardrobes 'blend seamlessly into this world, and they speak volumes about the world and its characters.'

Theron agreed. From the wedding dress, with its architectural shoulders that appear to be made from bones, to the twice-embroidered gown that eventually resembles an old, peeling skin, Atwood's costumes reflect the evil queen's obsession with appearances.

"Every costume had a feeling of not quite what it seems," Theron said. "In a way, these dresses were like torture devices for Ravenna. I love that because I feel like Ravenna was, in a way, more torturous toward herself than to the people she was killing."

To minimize the actual on-set torture, Atwood employed a team of about 50 people to help the actors in and out of the elaborate costumes.

But the beetle wings remain dangerous. Thousands of the hard, brittle wings decorate the evil queen's regal dress of silk and metal mesh.

"They're incredibly sharp, so I had to be careful about how I used them. If you hit them, you can hurt yourself," the designer said. "They're quite treacherous, which really suited the character."