Disney showed first-look footage at D23 with Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. The cast list includes someone who was not in the 2010 film.
Disney has dated its live-action “Tangled” for March 31, 2028, and the cast includes a name that has never been part of this story.
Diego Luna is playing a character called Hawthorne. No such character appears in the 2010 animated film.
Disney has not explained who he is.
What the Tangled first look showed
The footage ran short and leaned on the one image everyone associates with the film.
The camera tracks along Rapunzel’s hair, stretching across cobblestones, before Teagan Croft turns around in the character’s purple dress.
The title card follows. Then Kathryn Hahn emerges from a dark doorway in a tunnel-like alley as Mother Gothel and calls out, “Rapunzel!”
Walt Disney Studios posted the clip publicly on Aug. 15, the day after it screened at the Disney Entertainment Showcase in Anaheim.
What Kathryn Hahn said about playing Mother Gothel
She took the stage and thanked fans for manifesting the casting.
Hahn joked that Gothel “may be a little overprotective, but that’s because she cares so much,” then described her as “the best kind of villain, the kind who thinks she’s actually a hero.”
She also praised her co-stars. “Teagan and Milo are so beautiful together.”
Scarlett Johansson was almost Mother Gothel
The casting history gives Hahn’s manifesting line some extra weight.
Scarlett Johansson was in talks for the role through October 2025. She passed that December, citing commitments to “The Exorcist: Martyrs” in 2027 and “The Batman: Part 2” in 2028.
Rapunzel went through screen tests the same month, with Freya Skye, Sarah Catherine Hook, Croft and Olivia-Mai Barrett reading for the part. Milo Manheim, Charlie Gillespie and Gilli Jones tested for Flynn Rider.
Tangled is still filming in Spain
Croft and Manheim could not attend D23 because production is ongoing.
Both appeared in a prerecorded message in costume. “We’re busy filming in beautiful Spain,” Croft said.
Manheim added that the production has been “traveling throughout all of Spain through some very real and very beautiful places,” and promised more from the film in the coming months.
Who else is in the live-action Tangled cast
The supporting lineup fills out roles the animated film kept in the background.
Caitríona Balfe plays Queen Arianna and Elliot Cowan plays King Frederic, Rapunzel’s parents, who had no dialogue in the 2010 version.
Patrick and Hugo McPherson play the Stabbington brothers.
Luna’s Hawthorne remains the outlier.
Who is directing the live-action Tangled
Michael Gracey directs, from a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and Michael Montemayor.
Gracey made “The Greatest Showman,” which is itself having a moment. At the same D23 showcase, Disney announced the musical arrives at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane in spring 2027.
Kristin Burr and Michael De Luca produce.
Disney’s live-action remake track record right now
The 2028 date arrives during a rough stretch for the category.
Many fans seem to be tiring of live-action remakes.
Disney’s live-action “Moana” took $262.7 million worldwide this summer against a reported $250 million production budget, a result widely read as a disappointment. That film adapted an animated original only 10 years old.
“Tangled” turns 18 in November and will be 18 years removed from its release when the remake opens.
Editor’s note: Disney posted the first-look footage to its official channels on Aug. 15. Readers can find it through Walt Disney Studios’ verified accounts.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
The Hollywood Reporter, the March 31, 2028 date, the footage description and Hahn’s onstage quotes
TheWrap, the trailer breakdown, the Disney Studios social post and the Moana comparison
ABC News, Hahn’s comments on her co-stars and the production status
Meaww, the Croft and Manheim quotes from the prerecorded message
Wikipedia, the Scarlett Johansson casting history, the screen test list and the full creative credits
TV Insider, via AOL, the supporting cast including Diego Luna, Caitríona Balfe and Elliot Cowan