First Look At Disney’s Live-Action ‘Tangled’ Shows Off Rapunzel’s Massive Hair and Flynn Rider’s Full Swagger

Disney has kept its live-action remake machine running at full speed despite a rocky stretch for the format, and ‘Tangled‘ is the latest classic getting the shot-for-shot treatment. The 2010 animated original grossed over $591 million worldwide and spawned both a short film and a long-running Disney Channel series, giving this new adaptation a genuinely beloved legacy to live up to.

Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim landed the lead roles of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider back in January, following a search that had been quietly building since the project was first reported to be in early development in December 2024. Croft is best known for playing Raven on the DC series ‘Titans’, while Manheim built his fanbase through Disney’s own ‘Zombies’ franchise and a memorable run on ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

Now that filming is officially underway, fans are finally getting their first real look at the two leads in character. Set photos have surfaced online showing Croft as Rapunzel with her hair styled into a massive braid, echoing the floating lanterns scene from the animated film, while Manheim appears fully dressed as Flynn Rider in an outfit that closely mirrors the character’s original design.

The photos highlight some subtle departures from the source material alongside the similarities. Croft is seen wearing a large blonde wig that falls all the way to her knees, likely intended for regular dialogue scenes, with most of Rapunzel’s more elaborate hair-based stunts expected to rely on visual effects instead. Her dress also appears in a noticeably deeper shade of purple compared to the lighter tone worn by the character in the animated version.

Manheim’s look has drawn its own attention for how closely it tracks the animated Flynn Rider, right down to the tousled dark hair and the mustache and goatee combination the actor grew out specifically for the role. Earlier photos from the start of filming had already teased this transformation, alongside a surprisingly short new haircut Croft debuted around the same time production began.

The film is being directed by Michael Gracey, known for helming ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Better Man’, with a screenplay from Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, whose credits include ‘Do Revenge’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. Kristin Burr, who previously produced ‘Cruella’ and ‘Freakier Friday’, has also come aboard as a producer on the project.

The supporting cast includes Kathryn Hahn stepping into the role of the villainous Mother Gothel, alongside Diego Luna, who has also joined the production. Hahn’s casting continues her recent run through high-profile projects following her turn in ‘Agatha All Along’, giving the film another recognizable name to pair alongside its two rising leads.

These set photos also arrive at a notably cautious moment for Disney’s live-action pipeline, coming in the wake of the studio’s ‘Moana’ remake underperforming at the box office, with that film projected to lose more than $100 million by the end of its theatrical run. Unlike ‘Moana’, ‘Tangled’ does not have the added pressure of following an animated sequel that released just two years before its live-action counterpart, which may work in its favor.

No official release date has been confirmed for ‘Tangled’ just yet, though the film is widely expected to arrive sometime in 2027.

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