Development on the live-actionTangledremake 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). Thelive-actionTangledremakewas set to be directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman,Better Man) from a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge, the upcomingI Know What You Did Last Summer).
PerThe Hollywood Reporter,the active development of the live-actionTangledremake has been put on pause, according to studio sources. This news comes in the wake of the box office underperformance ofSnow 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 thatTangledbeing put on pause could be the first sign of a larger restructuringgoing on behind the scenes at the studio, as this news comes during a general critical and commercial downturn forDisney live-action remakes.Snow Whitehas 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.
Why Snow White Is Facing Backlash Despite Being Disney’s Prized Possession
Disney’s Snow White remake is finally out in theaters this week. Here’s our breakdown of the controversy and why it’s drastic for this title.
However,Snow Whiteis 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, andPinocchio), while another two have negative audience scores (Mulan,Peter Pan & Wendy), in addition toPinocchio. Additionally, while 2024’sMufasahad a slow and steady rise to profitability, it made less than half of its billion-dollar precessor, and 2023’sThe Little Mermaidflat-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
TheTangledpause could be followed by similar developments from other impending live-action remakes such asHercules,Robin Hood,The Aristocats, andBambi. However, if that does not become the case, this would most likely mean that the studio is specifically skittish about live-actionDisney princess movies. Considering the unusual circumstances surroundingSnow White’s debut,this could prove to be a short-sighted solutionthat could be proven to be the wrong move by the 2026 release of the live-actionMoana, which targets a similar demographic and seems poised to become a hit.
