Disney hasn't officially announced plans for a live-action remake of its popular animated feature, Tangled, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out possibilities of who could bring the film's beloved characters to life.
On the heels of reports that Florence Pugh is the frontrunner to play Rapunzel in the live-action remake, another star has stepped forward to play the role opposite her, Flynn Rider. And Disney fans are definitely going to like this one.
Fan-favorite actor wants to reprise his role as Flynn Rider in live-action Tangled movie
Zachary Levi, who voiced the charismatic Flynn Rider in Disney Animation's Tangled, told audiences as Fan Expo in Chicago that he would like to reprise the role in live-action form.
In a video posted to social media, Levi brings up the rumor that Florence Pugh may potentially play the role of Rapunzel, which leads directly into his joke:
"Which would also be a trip because my real last name is Pugh; P-U-G-H, Zachary Levi Pugh, so you'd have in Tangled. Come on!"
Zachary Levi did an amazing job voicing the charming and quick-witted thief in Disney's 2010 animated feature film and I'm sure fans of the original movie would love to see him reprise the role. But I'm not so certain it would ever happen.
For starters, it's incredibly rare for actors who have voiced a character in a Disney movie to reprise their role in the live-action remake. Dwayne Johnson is the only one that comes to mind recently, as he will be returning to play the legendary Maui in the live-action Moana movie. But other than Johnson, I can't recall an actor who returned from their animated role to play the live-action counterpart.
There's also the whole age discrepancy. Zachary Levi is now 42 years old which, admittedly, isn't terribly old, but I don't think it's quite what Disney would envision for the notorious thief-turned-good guy.
Plus, if Florence Pugh does get cast as Rapunzel -- an unconfirmed rumor as of this writing -- then Levi would be 15 years her senior. That's probably not the sort of age pairing Disney would want for onscreen romance.
Disney has not yet officially announced plans for a live-action Tangled movie but the company has been churning through its classic animated film catalogue. Tangled made $600 million at the box office in 2010 but has only grown in popularity since then.
Disney's live-action remakes have been a mixed bag both critically and commercially, but if they are to do a Tangled movie, a good first step would be to cast an actor they already know fans would appreciate in one of the key roles. I'm just not sure Levi's age makes him a good fit anymore.