Disney is finally making progress on its live-action remake of Tangled, the 2010 animated movie based on the Grimm Brothers fairy tale about Rapunzel. The studio is reportedly eyeing Scarlett Johansson to play Mother Gothel, the villainous woman who kidnaps Rapunzel and poses as her mother to exploit the mystical powers of her hair.

The studio had previously put the project on hold back in April, after the live-action Snow White faltered at the box office. However, just a month later, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Sтιтch became the sole $1 billion global movie this year, naturally causing the studio to re-vamp the Tangled development process. Now that Johansson has been set to play the villain, the casting will naturally shift to Rapunzel, and there are several talented young actresses who could play her.

Millie Bobby Brown

This role could quite literally be the exact opposite of her Stranger Things role of Eleven. Instead of having a shaved head, the 21-year-old actress would have the longest hair imaginable if she were to land the role of Rapunzel. She’s the perfect age to play the “daughter” of Mother Gothel, and she has the chops to spar with Johansson.

She has already amᴀssed quite the career for herself in such a short amount of time, even branching out as a producer on Damsel and both Enola Holmes movies. She’s also producing and starring in Perfect, a biopic on 1996 Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug. This will help solidify her as a theatrical star as well as a streaming star.

That status could also be bolstered by Tangled, adding a big-budget, live-action Disney film to her already-impressive resume at such a young age. This could truly help elevate her career from stream queen to box office draw if all of her Stranger Things fans flock to see her in theaters when it arrives at the multiplexes in the somewhat near future.

Olivia Rodrigo

While she’s best known for her music, the “Good 4 U” singer does have plenty of acting experience under her belt. The 22-year-old made her acting debut as a 12-year-old in the American Girl straight-to-video movie Grace Stirs Up Success, in which she played the тιтle character, Grace Thomas. She also played Nini on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series from 2019 to 2022.

Tangled could be the perfect opportunity for Rodrigo to expand her acting chops, and since there was a musical element to the animated film, that could suit her perfectly as well given her range as a singer. While she only has that American Girl movie under her belt, her performance in the “Good 4 U” music video alone should prove that she has plenty of range.

Jenna Ortega

The 23-year-old actress has been catapulted to global fame with her hit Netflix series Wednesday, portraying the devilishly dark child of the Addams Family during her school years. This role could be the perfect way for her to break out of her dreary Wednesday persona while expanding her presence beyond the streaming realm.

Ortega already has a vast range, starting her career at just 10 years old, appearing in a variety of projects like Iron Man 3, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Yes Day, Scream, X, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Death of a Unicorn. It could be a great opportunity to show off a different side of her acting and musical talent.

Emma Myers

Emma Myers has shined on Netflix’s Wednesday as Enid Sinclair, the bubbly anтιтhesis (and roommate) to Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams, which could easily put her in the running to play Rapunzel as well in Tangled. The 23-year-old Myers also got her start very young (her first role was at 8 years old) and she has singing chops too.

In fact, she was recently brought up on stage by her Wednesday season 2 co-star Lady Gaga, performing The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Dance with her co-star Evie Templeton during Gaga’s first Mayhem Ball shows in London’s O2 Arena. She also has studio movie experience as well, starring as Natalie in one of the biggest movies of 2025: A Minecraft Movie.

Sadie Sink

If Millie Bobby Brown doesn’t snag the Rapunzel role, perhaps her Stranger Things co-star Sadie Sink could make a run for it. The 23-year-old is also a former child star, having played the тιтle role of Annie on Broadway at just 10 years of age. She has recently been rumored to play Jean Grey in the upcoming Disney X-Men movie.

If she is available for Rapunzel, though, Sink’s musical background and diverse acting chops could easily make her a favorite to land this long-haired role. With Stranger Things coming to an end, it’s the perfect time to expand her repertoire and go after juicy leading roles like this one, which she should be a big contender for given her abilities.

Isabela Merced

Isabela Merced is also a multi-talented former child star who made her Broadway at just 10 years old, singing in Spanish on stage with Ricky Martin in Evita. She would ultimately head to Hollywood to voice Kate in Dora the Explorer and star in Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight while also putting out her first record, Stopping Time.

Merced has impressed most recently as Kay in Alien: Romulus, Dina in HBO’s The Last Of Us, and Hawkgirl in the big screen hit Superman. She will be returning as Hawkgirl in the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, so it’s possible that she might not be available for the Tangled project. Still, she could be an intriguing choice for Rapunzel.

Brighton Sharbino

The 23-year-old actress is perhaps best known for playing Lizzie in AMC’s The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, though she has certainly matured to put together an impressive acting resume. She’s gone on to star in projects such as The Christmas Trap, Players, and The Man in the White Van, and she could have just the right look to play Rapunzel in Tangled.

There has been no confirmation yet if the musical elements from the animated film will cross over to the live-action project, but if it does, that may be a detriment to Sharbino, since she doesn’t appear to have any professional musical experience. Still, there could be ways around it if she is deemed a fit for Rapunzel.

Mackenzie Foy

The 24-year-old first came into prominence as young Renesmee Cullen – the child of Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) – in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn movies. She also started her career quite young, modeling at just 3 years of age and acting at 8, landing the Renesmee role when she was 10.

Foy continued her career playing Cindy Perron in The Conjuring and Lou Cardinal in Wish You Well, both in 2013. She had a big year in 2014, playing a younger version of Anne Hathaway’s character in Interstellar, and voicing Violet in The Boxcar Chldren and Celestine in Ernest & Celestine.

She hasn’t worked too consistently since then, though, playing Clara Stahlbaum in 2018’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Jo Green in 2020’s Black Beauty, and a cameo return as Cindy Perron in this year’s The Conjuring: The Last Rites.

Foy also doesn’t appear to have any musical experience, which could end up being to her detriment, but she still could easily be a contender to play Rapunzel in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Tangled.