Disney has decided to make its move and reactivate the live-action Tangled after having put it on hold last spring. The big news is the casting: Scarlett Johansson is in talks to play the villainous Mother Gothel, a striking turn for a project that is still in its early stages.
The decision comes at a delicate moment for the studio's remake strategy: the failure of Snow White cooled the spirits, but the global success of Lilo & Stitch (over a billion) has tipped the balance again. The objective is clear: connect with new audiences without losing the appeal of the public that grew up with the 2010 animated version.
Project status and who's in charge
For now, the film is in initial developmentThere's no definitive green light or filming dates, and the studio remains cautious. The possibility of Johansson playing Gothel has generated buzz in the industry and would mark her return to Disney after her work on Black Widow.
In the direction, Disney has Michael gracey (The Greatest Showman), while the libretto is written by Jennifer KaytinRobinson (Revenge Now, Thor: Love and Thunder). The duo is aiming for an adaptation with a musical signature and an emphasis on spectacle, a field in which Gracey moves with ease.
Beyond this, there is no confirmed cast There is no official schedule. The project is moving cautiously into pre-production, with an eye toward adjusting the creative approach to today's audience expectations.
Why Disney has changed its mind
The April pause responded to the box office stumble of Snow White, but recent data has reinforced the adaptations of more “modern” Disney titles. Lilo & Stitch surpassed 1.000 billion and has become one of the biggest hits of the year, reaffirming the appeal of the studio's so-called renaissance stories.
In this context, the company relies on the formula that already worked with Beauty and the beast, Aladdin o The Little Mermaid, and looks to the future with other projects such as Vaiana/MoanaThe motto is to maintain nostalgia, update the tone and reach out to younger viewers, without losing the fans of the original.
What version do they want to bring to the screen?
The remake will follow the story of Rapunzel, a young woman with magical hair who lives secluded in a tower until a thief, Flynn Rider, bursts into her life and pushes her to discover the outside world. The 2010 animated film set the stage: adventure, humor and musical numbers as main ingredients.
In its day, Tangled touched the 600 million at the global box office and featured Academy Award-winning music. Its strong performance led to the film being made into a short film. Tangled Ever After (2012) and in a television series released in 2017, proof that the brand remains current.
Cast: what's confirmed and what's rumored
The only piece with any signs of being finalized is that Scarlett Johansson is negotiating to play Mother GothelThe actress is going through a buoyant moment: she has made her debut as a director with Eleanor the Great (applauded at Cannes and very well received by the public) and has released titles such as The Phoenician Plot (Wes Anderson) or Jurassic World: Rebirth, which adds up to one outstanding box office worldwide.
The rest is, for now, a field of speculation. Fans are suggesting names for Rapunzel like Sabrina Carpenter—publicly endorsed by Mandy Moore, the character's original voice—, in addition to Madelyn Cline, Florence Pugh o Avantika Vandanapu. Flynn Rider has names like Avan Jogia, Jonathan Bailey, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Milo Manheim and Ben Barnes; even Corey Mylchreest came to audition. The actor Danny Ramirez has been offered on social media with a "Yo @Disney." All of this, of course, without official confirmation.
What is missing to know
There are still many pieces to fit together: filming schedule, release window, full cast announcement, and the studio's formal green light. Until then, production is moving forward quietly to adjust the proposal to what the public expects from a Tangled remake today.
Between caution and the push of nostalgia, Disney has put the machinery back in motion: Johansson is in the running for Gothel, Michael Gracey and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson are leading the creative department, and the performance of Lilo & Stitch serves as a compass. If nothing goes wrong, the project aims to get the spark back from the recent classic and translate it into the language of live action.
