Disney appears to be course-correcting after Snow White and The Little Mermaid.
After Snow White bombed with Rachel Zegler and months of backlash over “reimagined” casting, Disney looks to be quietly shifting strategy.
The studio is testing actresses for its live-action Tangled who actually resemble Rapunzel from the 2010 animated film, instead of reinventing the character from the ground up for the modern-day audience.
Actresses Testing For Rapunzel
Per THR, Disney recently held screen tests and chemistry reads in London for Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.
Actresses said to have tested for Rapunzel include:
- Freya Skye (Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires)
- Sarah Catherine Hook (The White Lotus)
- Teagan Croft (Titans)
- Olivia-Mai Barrett (Invasion)
All of them can easily be styled into a classic, long-blonde-haired Rapunzel, which is exactly what fans have been asking for. Lola Tung (The Summer I Turned Pretty) was reportedly in the mix but did not test due to a possible scheduling conflict.
Flynn Rider And Mother Gothel
For Flynn Rider, Disney tested Milo Manheim (Disney’s Zombies franchise), Charlie Gillespie (Julie and the Phantoms, Splitsville), and Scottish actor Gilli Jones, all of whom fit the charming rogue archetype fans know from the animated movie.
The Mother Gothel role is back in play. Scarlett Johansson was previously attached but has exited to focus on other projects, including a new Exorcist film and The Batman Part II, leaving Disney to find a new witchy scene-stealer.
Tangled Heads Toward Production
Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman, Better Man) is directing the live-action Tangled, which will keep the big musical elements of the original.
Disney is eyeing a June shoot in the UK, depending on how quickly it locks Rapunzel, Flynn, and Gothel.
After the Snow White debacle, Tangled looks like a deliberate course correction: a live-action remake with leads who finally look like the animated characters audiences actually love.
