Like most Disney animated films, Tangled, the studio’s take on the classic fairytale Rapunzel, took the world by storm when it was released in 2010. So it was far from surprising when news surrounding the development of a live-action movie first broke in 2020. After years of speculation, countless fan casts, and bated breath, Disney has provided an answer to the question that has plagued fans of the animated musical for years. Who will star as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider?
The upcoming live-action adaptation of Tangled will have Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider according to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter. This isn’t new territory for the Australian actress. Her rise to prominence came with her role as the half-demon, half-human Raven in the superhero series Titans, another live-action adaptation. Manheim is a Disney alum best known for starring in the lead role of Zed Necrodopolis in the supernatural musical franchise Zombies. The latest film in the series, Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires, had Manheim attached as an executive producer in addition to his acting duties. Manheim continued to show off his musical chops in his off-Broadway debut as Seymour in the acclaimed revival of Little Shop of Horrors.
The highly coveted roles saw auditions from the likes of Sarah Catherine Hook (The White Lotus, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, First Kill) and Charlie Gillespie (Julie and the Phantoms), but ultimately went to Croft and Manheim. The Tangled adaptation is in line with Disney’s storied history and dedication to producing live-action remakes of its animated features. Though there’s been quite the influx in recent years, the practice dates back to 1994 with the film Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, an adaptation of the 1967 animated feature The Jungle Book. Since then, we’ve seen live-action and photorealistic remakes such as Alice in Wonderland (2010), Cinderella (2015), another The Jungle Book adaptation, The Jungle Book (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Lion King (2019), The Little Mermaid (2023), Snow White (2025), and the latest addition to the lineup, Lilo & Stitch (2025). And that’s just scratching the surface. We can’t forget the upcoming releases of Moana, Hercules, and Bambi.
In terms of who else will be joining the film, well, that’s anyone’s guess, but Mother does know best. Rumors of Scarlett Johansson playing Mother Gothel have swirled, but there’s been no confirmation from Disney. We’ll just have to wait and see who rounds out the cast of the highly anticipated adaptation.