Original Tangled Star Zachary Levi Reacts To Milo Manheim's Flynn Rider Casting For Live-Action Disney Remake

3 days ago 9

Abigail is an editor for ScreenRant, currently writing and editing movie news. You may also have seen her thoughts on animated television, musical theater, and fantasy literature in Paste Magazine, Fantasy Hive, or The Oxford Blue. She has also written SR lists and op-eds covering movies, TV, and books as well. She is an English major through and through, having graduated with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MPhil from Oxford University.

An original Tangled star congratulates the actor who has been recast as their character in the impending live-action remake. Released in 2010, Tangled predates the Disney Princess brand being entirely remade by Frozen. It is Disney's adaptation of the "Rapunzel" fairy tale, following the bright and adventurous titular princess, starring the voice cast of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy.

On January 7, the live-action Tangled announced the casting of its two leads, Rapunzel and the charming thief Flynn Rider, who become traveling companions and love interests. Teagan Croft (Titans) will play Rapunzel, while Milo Manheim (Zombies) will play Flynn, whose real name is revealed to be Eugene Fitzherbert. Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) was previously announced as director.

Following this announcement, Zachary Levi, the original voice of Flynn/Eugene, commented on Manheim's Instagram post, saying: "Congrats, Milo! Now go do Eugene Fitzherbert proud." Levi, now also a star of the Shazam! and Thor movies, previously said that he thought he was too old to reprise the role of Flynn in the live-action Tangled movie.

Meanwhile, Kathryn Hahn is currently in talks to play Gothel, the third major character in the story. Gothel is Rapunzel's adoptive mother/kidnapper, and Hahn's fellow MCU star Scarlett Johansson was initially being eyed for the role, but had to pass because of scheduling conflicts. Donna Murphy originally voiced/sang Gothel's part, while Mandy Moore is Rapunzel in the animated film.

Disney's Tangled remake has been in development for some time: It was indefinitely shelved in April 2025 due to the poor performance of Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot's Snow White, which seemed to indicate that Disney Princess remakes had less potential. However, this was followed by the billion-dollar success of the live-action Lilo & Stitch, which suggested that the opposite is true for remakes of 21st-century Disney movies.

Manheim may have beaten out Splitsville's Charlie Gillespie, Bridgerton's Corey Mylchreest, and 2025's How to Train Your Dragon's Mason Thames for the part of Flynn, as all these actors were reported or rumored to have been in the running for it at some point. Freya Skye, Sarah Catherine Hook, Olivia-Mai Barrett, and Lola Tung were all considered for Rapunzel.

With production yet to begin, the live-action Tangled could hit theaters sometime in 2027. Disney is preparing to release its remake of Moana, based on the most modern original animated movie yet of the company's remake series, on July 10. Meanwhile, the casting of other characters will probably be announced soon, contributing to hype for the new Tangled.