Just a few hours tonight after Kim Masters and Borys Kit filed a story for The Hollywood Reporter indicating that Kristen Stewart has been dropped from Universal’s Snow White and the Hunstman sequel plans, Marc Malkin over at E! News begs to differ.

Tying to an earlier item he wrote about Stewart in late May, Malkin insists the actress was never contractually committed to a SWATH sequel. Therefore, he argues, she cannot be “dropped” from the nascent follow-up:

Contrary to a report, Stewart has not been dropped from Universal’s planned Snow White and the Huntsman sequel because the concept is being retooled to focus on Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman.

Rather, she was never officially attached to one to begin with. (And, for that matter, neither is Hemsworth, as yet.) What’s true is that a new writer is being brought in to replace the first film’s scribe, David Koepp, sources confirmed to E! News Tuesday.

What’s interesting about the THR item is that the headline and article-text are somewhat at odds. While the former blares out ‘Dropped,’ the latter leads with the characterization that Stewart ‘will not be invited to return if the follow-up goes forward.’ Could this be then, ultimately, a case of an overly aggressive headline?

The LA Times has also filed a reaction to the THR report, suggesting the actress could still be invited to participate in the sequel.

Update – 08/15/12: Via Deadline.com, Universal co-chairman Donna Langley states: “Any reports that Kristen Stewart has been dropped are false.”

*Update – 08/16/12: In a follow-up THR analysis piece, Masters insists that Universal holds the upper hand of an option on Stewart for a SWATH sequel and that their public denial of her earlier story has as much to do with the fact the news broke before Stewart’s reps had been properly alerted.

Previously on FishbowlLA:
Stewart, Sanders and the Double-Edged Acronym SWATH