And at last, Tangled has seen the greenlight…for a live-action remake.
Disney is kickstarting development for a reimagining of the hit 2010 animated movie. Michael Gracey, the director of the musical hit The Greatest Showman and the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, is being tapped to direct the film, with Thor: Love and Thunder screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson providing the script, according to Variety.
Casting has yet to be announced.
Tangled retells the Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel, a princess isolated in a tower before an outlaw named Flynn Rider sets her on a life-changing adventure. Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy lead the voice cast.
Walt Disney Animation Studio’s 50th animated feature gained $592.5 million at the box office. However, it is also the most expensive animated film with a $260 million budget that brought to life its groundbreaking animation, mixing computer-generated animation with non-photorealistic rendering.
However, its success extended to a passionate fanbase, an Academy Award nomination for the song “I See the Light," the 2012 short Tangled Ever After, and the 2017 Disney Channel series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
Rapunzel herself made appearances outside of the Tangled universe, including the series Sofia the First, the sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet and the 100th anniversary short, Once Upon a Studio.
Tangled now counts as one of the Disney animated films that is getting the live-action treatment. Also in development are Bambi (which originally had Academy Award-winning Sarah Polley attached), The Aristocats (which Questlove is attached to direct), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which still had the involvement of Josh Gad, despite delays), Robin Hood (which had Blindspotting director Carlos López Estrada on board), and Hercules (which the Russo brothers were set to produce).
Currently on its schedule are Mufasa: The Lion King on the December 20 weekend, Snow White in March, Lilo & Stitch in May, and Moana in 2026.