Now that Chris Hemsworth has confirmed that he'll make it his first post-Avengers project, Universal is looking even more enthusiastic about Snow White and the Huntsman, to the point that they've decided to beat Relativity Media in their horserace to get the first Snow White movie out there. The studio will release Snow White and the Huntsman on June 1, 2012, swapping dates with the new Judd Apatow comedy, which had been set for the June release but will now hit on Huntsman's original December 21 date.

That puts Snow White and the Huntsman's release a mere four weeks ahead of The Brothers Grimm: Snow White, the Relativity Media project that Tarsem Singh is directing with Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer and Nathan Lane starring. It was already awkward enough to have the two projects releasing in the same year, but it seems almost impossible that Relativity will stick to that date- Huntsman, if it's a success, will still be playing in many theaters by the time Brothers Grimm is set to come out. Even Deep Impact and Armageddon had two months between them, and they only shared the same general concept, not the same characters. Universal has made a really bold move here, and it seems Relativity has no choice but to blink.

Below is the full press release from Universal with all the information you need.

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, May 15, 2011 – Universal Pictures announced today that its epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman will make a bold move into the early summer movie season with its new release date of June 1, 2012. The much anticipated film stars Twilight’s Kristen Stewart, Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron, Thor’s Chris Hemsworth and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ Sam Claflin.

This breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders (Halo 3 campaign) had originally been set for release in late December of next year. With adjustments to the production timeline, however, the film will now be ready for a summer 2012 release date.

In Snow White and the Huntsman, Stewart plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the one girl threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Hemsworth) who was dispatched to kill her. Claflin plays the prince long enchanted by Snow White's beauty and power.

“As Rupert and Joe were finalizing casting and preproduction of Snow White and the Huntsman, we realized that the ambitious and fully-formed world they had promised was blowing away all expectations,” said Universal Chairman Adam Fogelson and Co-Chairman Donna Langley in a joint statement. “We’re thrilled that Universal will be bringing this singular version of a timeless story almost seven months earlier than anticipated.”