In the ever-expansive kingdom of Disney’s live-action remakes, where nostalgia reigns supreme and box office billions are the ultimate happily-ever-after, a familiar fairy tale is poised for a fresh braid. After a six-month slumber in development purgatory—prompted by the poisoned-apple flop of Snow White earlier this year—Disney has quietly restarted work on its live-action adaptation of Tangled, the 2010 animated smash that turned the Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel into a sassy, adventure-loving icon. The news, breaking like a lantern-lit revelation on October 9, 2025, comes with a star-studded twist: Scarlett Johansson, Hollywood’s highest-grossing leading lady, is circling the role of Mother Gothel, the vain, manipulative sorceress who locks away youth’s glow in a hidden tower. With director Michael Gracey still at the helm and a script by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson taking shape, this revival signals Disney’s renewed faith in its modern classics. But as whispers of auditions and deal-making fill the air, questions swirl: Can Johansson channel Gothel’s serpentine charm? And will Tangled‘s enduring magic hold up under the studio’s remix spell, or will it snag on the thorns of fan expectations?
The original Tangled wasn’t just a film; it was a cultural curl that snaked its way into the hearts of a generation. Released amid Disney’s post-Renaissance resurgence, the movie reimagined the age-old tale of a girl with impossibly long hair—imprisoned by a faux-mother figure who craves eternal beauty—as a rollicking road trip blending humor, heart, and show-stopping tunes. Voiced by Mandy Moore as the wide-eyed Rapunzel, Zachary Levi as the roguish Flynn Rider (a gender-flipped Prince Charming with a thief’s swagger), and Donna Murphy as the deliciously devious Gothel, it grossed nearly $593 million worldwide on a $260 million budget. The score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater birthed earworms like “When Will My Life Begin?” and the Oscar-nominated “I See the Light,” while its visual flair—those floating lanterns over a kingdom inspired by Mont Saint-Michel—cemented it as a pinnacle of CG animation. Spinoffs followed: the 2012 short Tangled Ever After, a wedding-day romp, and the 2017-2020 series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, which expanded the lore with new songs and foes. For millennials and Gen Z alike, Tangled was empowerment wrapped in whimsy—a princess who saves herself, hair as a weapon, and a villain whose gaslighting anthems like “Mother Knows Best” hit too close to toxic home.
Fast-forward to 2025, and Disney’s live-action pipeline is a battlefield of hits and hair-pulls. The studio’s remake formula—lavish visuals, A-list casts, and a dash of “updated” messaging—has minted fortunes with The Lion King ($1.6 billion) and The Little Mermaid ($569 million), but stumbled spectacularly with Snow White. Rachel Zegler’s Latina-led take on the fairest of them all, co-starring Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, limped to $150 million globally against a $270 million price tag, dogged by backlash over “woke” changes, production woes, and a script that critics called “a poisoned chalice.” The April pause on Tangled felt like collateral damage: insiders whispered of executive jitters, with the project shelved indefinitely to reassess the “princess fatigue” narrative. Auditions had buzzed earlier—supermodel Gigi Hadid reportedly tested for Rapunzel, while Bridgerton’s Corey Mylchreest charmed as Flynn—but momentum stalled. Disney, reeling from the PR bruise, pivoted to safer bets: the blue-furred chaos of Lilo & Stitch roared to $1.03 billion this summer, proving that 2000s nostalgia still packs punch. Meanwhile, Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King prequel clawed $800 million late last year, and Moana‘s live-action sails into theaters next summer with Dwayne Johnson reprising Maui.
Enter the revival: a calculated untangling of doubts, buoyed by Stitch‘s triumph and data showing Tangled‘s timeless pull. Disney+ streams clock 500 million hours annually for the original, while merch— from Rapunzel dolls to “I See the Light” playlists—rakes in $300 million yearly. Executives, per industry scuttlebutt, view post-1989 titles like Tangled as low-risk gold: younger demographics crave the familiarity without the dated damsel tropes of Snow White or Cinderella. The restart, greenlit in quiet September huddles, keeps Gracey attached—the Greatest Showman helmer whose circus spectacle and Hugh Jackman musicals make him a fit for Tangled‘s Broadway-meets-burglary vibe. Robinson, the Do Revenge scribe whose sharp teen-revenge wit infused Netflix’s sleeper hit, is rewriting the script to amp the empowerment: Rapunzel as a DIY inventor, Flynn as a reluctant feminist ally, and Gothel as a social media-savvy narcissist in a world of filtered facades. No release date yet—filming eyes early 2026 for a 2028 bow—but the buzz is palpable, with casting calls rumored for a diverse Rapunzel (think rising stars like Sabrina Carpenter or Jenna Ortega) and a chiseled Flynn (Mylchreest still in play?).
At the vortex stands Scarlett Johansson, 40, whose potential as Gothel is a coup wrapped in controversy. The Black Widow herself—boasting $17.7 billion in global box office, two Oscar nods (Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit), and a voice that slayed in Sing—brings gravitas to the glamour. Gothel demands a chameleon: faux-maternal warmth masking venomous vanity, a Broadway belt for “Mother Knows Best,” and the physicality to wield 70 feet of hair like a lasso. Murphy’s animated turn was Tony-winning gold, but Johansson’s toolkit fits: her sultry menace in Under the Skin, manipulative edge in Lucy, and musical chops from The SpongeBob Movie. She’s no stranger to Disney, voicing Kaa in The Jungle Book (2016) and eyeing a Tower of Terror flick with Taika Waititi directing. Yet their history sours the fairy dust: Johansson’s 2021 lawsuit over Black Widow‘s hybrid release netted an undisclosed settlement, and whispers of “bad blood” linger. Insiders say it’s water under the bridge—Disney’s courting her aggressively, dangling producer credits and a $20 million payday. “Scarlett’s the draw,” one exec confided. “She turns villains into icons—think Jolie in Maleficent.” But fans are split: Reddit’s r/boxoffice threads erupt with “Kathryn Hahn was born for this!” (her WandaVision witchery screams Gothel), while others hail Johansson’s “timeless allure.” Age quibbles aside—Gothel’s “eternal youth” via magic hair makes 40 feasible—her star power could lure the MCU crowd craving post-Endgame fixes.
The project’s resurrection isn’t mere whimsy; it’s a strategic braid of lessons learned. Post-Snow White, Disney’s recalibrating: less overt “updates” that alienate purists, more fidelity to source magic. Tangled‘s 15-year vintage helps—old enough for nostalgia, young enough for relevance. Gracey’s vision leans cinematic spectacle: practical effects for the hair (no full CGI like Lion King‘s fur fiasco), location shoots in Ireland’s emerald cliffs doubling as Corona Kingdom, and Menken returning for re-orchestrated hits plus new bops. Robinson’s draft amps the humor—Flynn’s smolder undercut by slapstick, Rapunzel’s tower a Pinterest fever dream of gadgets—but keeps the emotional core: themes of identity, found family, and breaking free from gilded cages. Budget eyes $200-250 million, banking on IMAX spectacles and global merch tie-ins (Rapunzel wigs, anyone?). If greenlit fully, it’ll slot into Disney’s princess pipeline post-Moana, targeting holiday 2028 to capitalize on streaming surges.
Yet shadows lurk in the tower. Fan forums buzz with “remake remorse”—why redo a near-perfect film when sequels like a Tangled: Ever After expansion could suffice? Backlash fears echo Snow White: Will Rapunzel’s agency feel forced? Gothel’s “problematic” maternal gaslighting trigger modern sensitivities? Johansson’s casting, while bankable, invites scrutiny—her trans sibling advocacy clashes with Disney’s uneven allyship, and post-lawsuit optics could spark “sellout” snark. Still, the momentum builds: test footage of braided prototypes leaked on TikTok (quickly yanked), and casting rumors swirl like lantern swarms—Hadid for a cameo? Levi voicing Flynn? Moore as Rapunzel’s mom?
As October’s chill settles over Burbank, Tangled‘s revival feels like a lantern in the dark—a beacon of hope for Disney’s remake empire, flickering with Johansson’s starlight. Gothel’s mantra rings true: “Flower gleam and glow.” If this braid holds, it could weave box office gold from fairy-tale threads, proving that some stories, like Rapunzel’s locks, are too enchanting to cut short. Watch this tower: the adventure’s just beginning, and the drop is gonna be 100 feet of pure magic.
