It’s official — Teagan Croft will be letting down her hair for Disney‘s live-action Tangled remake. The House of Mouse has chosen the Australian rising star to play the lead role of the magical princess Rapunzel, with Zombies star Milo Manheim also set to join her as her unlikely outlaw companion, Flynn Rider. Both actors were among the finalists mentioned for the coveted roles once voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi in 2010. Others in the running included Freya Skye, Sarah Catherine Hook, Olivia-Mai Barrett, Charlie Gillespie, and Gilli Jones.
Croft and Manheim‘s casting came after an extensive and deliberate search by Disney to find the perfect faces to bring to life one of its modern classics. Tangled is widely beloved as part of the animation giant’s modern revival, and it earned a cool $592.5 million at the box office, launching a mini-franchise including an animated series and a made-for-television sequel that premiered on the Disney Channel back in 2017. It’s a massive opportunity for both stars to showcase their acting and singing talents on the biggest stage possible, though they’ve already done that plenty throughout their young careers. Croft remains best known for playing the superpowered Raven in DC‘s Titans series, as well as starring in the sea-faring Netflix docudrama True Spirit. Manheim is a more familiar face for Disney, though, having been at the head of four of the musical Zombies films for the Disney Channel in addition to his recent role opposite Peyton List in the paranormal teen fantasy hit, School Spirits.
Tangled shook up the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale of Rapunzel and her legendarily lengthy hair. Taken by an old hag as a baby and locked away in a tower since she was young, the princess’s magical locks, which possessed the power to grant eternal youth, were exploited for the benefit of the wicked Gothel, often considered one of Disney‘s best modern villains. She’s forbidden to venture into the outside world, but her curiosity at what lies beyond only grows with age. When the rogueish Flynn arrives to take refuge at the tower, Rapunzel uses the opportunity and asks him to help her escape and experience what she’s missed. The original was directed Nathan Greno and Byron Howard with a screenplay by Dan Fogelman.
‘Tangled’ Has Endured a Winding Journey to the Big Screen
The next priority for getting the Tangled remake off the ground is finding Mother Gothel. When the project was revived last October, Scarlett Johansson was in line to play the villain. The Greatest Showman and Better Man director Michael Gracey remains at the helm, at least, with Thor: Love and Thunder and last year’s I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Gracey has been attached to the project since 2024 despite Disney originally shutting the film down after the failure of the live-action Snow White at the box office caused the company to rethink its remake strategy. Lilo & Stitch‘s billion-dollar performance, however, quickly changed their tune and now has the project humming along to “I’ve Got a Dream” once more.
via Collider