Development on the live-action Tangled remake has been cut short. The original 2010 animated musical, which featured original songs by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, followed Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) being trapped in a tower by her supposedly doting caretaker Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) and escaping to go on an adventure with the dashing rogue Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi). The live-action Tangled remake was set to be directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman, Better Man) from a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge, the upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer).
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the active development of the live-action Tangled remake has been put on pause, according to studio sources. This news comes in the wake of the box office underperformance of Snow White, which has so far grossed $145.6 million against a huge reported budget of $250 million. At the time of writing, the Rapunzel movie’s ultimate fate is unknown, as it could once more be put into active development if it is retooled, or it could remain suspended indefinitely.
What This Means For Disney Live-Action Remakes
Tangled Could Be The First Of Several Stalled Productions
It is possible that Tangled being put on pause could be the first sign of a larger restructuring going on behind the scenes at the studio, as this news comes during a general critical and commercial downturn for Disney live-action remakes. Snow White has borne the brunt of this, as the debut of the movie, which has a grim 40% Rotten Tomatoes score, comes amid swirling controversies surrounding its depiction of dwarfism, stars Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler’s opposing opinions on Israel and Palestine, and more.
However, Snow White is not the only live-action remake to have underperformed in recent years, either critically or commercially. On Rotten Tomatoes, three of the seven remakes released in the 2020s have earned Rotten scores (Mufasa: The Lion King, Snow White, and Pinocchio), while another two have negative audience scores (Mulan, Peter Pan & Wendy), in addition to Pinocchio. Additionally, while 2024’s Mufasa had a slow and steady rise to profitability, it made less than half of its billion-dollar precessor, and 2023’s The Little Mermaid flat-out underperformed, grossing $569.6 million against its reported $240.2 million budget.
Our Take On The Tangled Development Pause
Disney May Specifically Be Avoiding Princess Movies
The Tangled pause could be followed by similar developments from other impending live-action remakes such as Hercules, Robin Hood, The Aristocats, and Bambi. However, if that does not become the case, this would most likely mean that the studio is specifically skittish about live-action Disney princess movies. Considering the unusual circumstances surrounding Snow White‘s debut, this could prove to be a short-sighted solution that could be proven to be the wrong move by the 2026 release of the live-action Moana, which targets a similar demographic and seems poised to become a hit.
Source: THR
