Disney is taking another crack at its live-action remakes of animated classics with Deadline reporting Tangled is back in development and Scarlett Johansson is in talks to star in the film.
For nearly a decade now Disney has been remaking several of its classic and most beloved films beginning with Cinderella starring Lily James. The last few years have seen The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan and more get the live-action treatment while The Lion King not only got a remake, but a prequel as well focusing on Mufasa.
This year saw Disney release its live-action remake of their very first animated feature as Snow White with Rachel Zelger as the title princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. However, that film did not fare well critically or financially, leading Disney to put a pause on most of their live-action remakes that had not yet gone into development. Though Snow White did not perform well, Lilo & Stitch proved to be a summer hit and earned over $1 billion.
If a deal is reached, Johansson will be playing Mother Gothel, the evil witch who kidnaps a young Rapunzel and raises her as her daughter only so she has access to Rapunzel’s magical golden hair which can make Gothel younger. This would become another singing role for Johansson after providing her vocal talents for The Jungle Book as the snake Kaa for ‘Trust in Me’ and Illumination’s animated Sing films, not to mention her own singing career in the late 00s before her acting career really took off.
Johansson is just coming off Jurassic World: Rebirth, Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme and her directorial debut Eleanor The Great starring June Squibb. Tangled will be directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) from a script written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Meanwhile, Disney’s remake of Moana with Catherine Laga’aia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his animated role as Maui in live-action form is in post-production for a July 2026 release and a sequel to Lilo & Stitch has been announced to be in development. Aside from Tangled, though, all other live-action remakes will remain paused until further notice.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Bluesky for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published October 10, 2025. Updated October 11, 2025.
