Last month, we got confirmation that a live-action remake of 2010 animated classic Tangled is officially in development at Disney, and the project may have found its villain.
According to Daniel Richtman, Agatha All Along star Kathryn Hahn is being eyed to play Mother Gothel. If the Golden Globe nominee does land the part, she will likely return to play Gothel in a spin-off focusing on the character.
Though nothing has been confirmed, Disney is believed to be developing a number of baddie-centric live-action projects to tie-in to the planned Villains Land Disneyland attraction. In addition to a Mother Gothel movie, we have heard that Queen of Hearts and Snow Queen films are also in the works, and this is also why the Hercules adaptation was repurposed to focus on Hades.
Previous reports have claimed that Baz Luhrmann (Elvis, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge) was being eyed to direct Tangled, but THR recently announced that Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) is in talks to take the helm.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who is currently directing Sony’s I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel, wrote the latest draft of the screenplay. Producers include Kristin Burr for Burr! Productions, along with Emmy-winning producer Lucy Kitada (The Baby-Sitters Club).
Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer, Thunderbolts*) was rumored to be in line to play the lead role of Rapunzel, but there's no mention of any potential casting picks in the trade reports.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Zachary Levi, who voiced Flynn Rider in the original animated retelling, expressed interest in playing a live-action take on the character after the Pugh rumor did the rounds.
"And If Florence plays Rapunzel, what about me? Which would also be a trip because my real last name is Pugh, p-u-g-h, Zachary Levi Pugh, so you’d have pew-pew noise in Tangled. Come on!”
The original Tangled was only loosely based on Rapunzel, and told the story of a beautiful princess who has been "locked away in a tower since she was captured as a baby by an old hag. Her magical long blonde hair has the power to provide eternal youth, and the evil Gothel uses this power to keep her young. At the age of 18, Rapunzel becomes curious about the outside world, and when a prince uses her tower as a refuge, she asks him to help her escape."
Gracey is best known for directing Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Michelle Williams in the 20th Century Fox musical The Greatest Showman, which tells a fictionalized version of P.T. Barnum’s life. He also helmed the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man.
Tangled isn't usually held up as one of Disney's better animated efforts, but it's well worth a watch if you haven't seen it, and the story would lend itself well to a live-action retelling.
No release or production dates yet, but we'll be sure to keep you updated.
What do you make of this news? Any interest in a live-action Tangled movie? Le us know in the comments section down below.