‘Cinderella’ trailer: Lily James isn’t so quick to swoon

With her flowing blond locks, ornate ball gown and sparkly glass slippers, Lily James certainly looks the part in the new trailer for Disney’s live-action “Cinderella” movie. But as befits a heroine these days, she may not be swept off her feet so easily.

The two-minute clip glimpses Ella’s first meeting with the charming prince (Richard Madden, of “Game of Thrones”), and rather than going googly-eyed, she scolds his royal highness for staging a stag hunt.

“Just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done,” Ella reprimands him. Then it’s the prince’s turn to swoon. “You’re right,” he says with a smile. (Soon he’s even gushing about her during fencing practice.)

Other moments in the trailer further underscore themes of chafing at tradition — “A prince is not free to follow his heart. He must marry for the good of the kingdom,” the prince is told — or subverting conventional gender roles.

At one point, Ella defiantly tells her wicked stepmother (Cate Blanchett), “I will protect the prince from you, no matter what becomes of me.”

Retelling classic fairy tales is currently in vogue in Hollywood, so it should prove interesting to see how fully director Kenneth Branagh will commit to modernizing “Cinderella,” which is both an unassailable gem and a very old-fashioned bit of storytelling.

The clock strikes midnight March 13.

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