Disney casts Mother Gothel for live-action Tangled remake
BEST, DAY, EVER!
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Disney's live-action Tangled remake was first reported to be in development in December 2024 and it has since seen many stop-starts. Thankfully, it's all systems go now - in January 2026, Disney announced which plucky pair will take on the lead roles in their live-action remake of Tangled; and now we now know who will play the scheming Mother Gothel.
Who is playing Mother Gothel in the Tangled live-action remake?
Kathryn Hahn was confirmed to portray Mother Gothel on 11th March, after she announced it in a surprise post on social media. In the video, the WandaVision villain begins with a close-up sharing her "OOTD", admitting she "just found out what that stands for" before she steps back in the shot to reveal a T-shirt emblazoned with a collage of Mother Gothel. "Simple jeans, glasses, T-shirt... this is easy, just you know, another day," she ended her announcement.
Fans took to the comments to express their reactions at the casting choice, with one user quipping: 'Its like you're trying to tell us something...but i cant figure it out. I really did try, Kathryn... 😏😏😏😏', while another said: 'This is the most perfect casting. Disney understood the assignment!' (sic)
But another huge fan of the casting announcement to express their joy in the comments was actress and singer Donna Murphy, who originally voiced Mother Gothel in the 2010 animated film.
She wrote: 'KATHRYN !! From one Mother to another … Congrats ! And remember… I love you MOST. ❤️👏🌟💋,' (sic) as Kathryn replied with: 'oh my goddess i'm not worthy!!!!!!!! could never fill your shoes you are an ICON.' (sic)
Who else is in the cast of the Tangled live-action remake?
We now know that Teagan Croft has been announced as Rapunzel, while Milo Manheim will portray Flynn Rider - real name Eugene Fitzherbert. Teagan is an Australian actress who is best known for her role as Rachel Azarath / Rachel Roth / White Raven in the DC Universe series Titans.
Milo is an American actor, best known for his role as Zed in TV musical series Zombies, and has also played Seymour in a theatrical production of Little Shop of Horrors.
The 2010 animation originally saw Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi voice Rapunzel and Flynn Rider respectively, and Disney Studios announced in January 2026 that Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim will play the loveable duo, taking to Instagram with a picture of them - as fans commented in droves over the 'perfect' match.
Tangled was originally rumoured to be in line to receive the live-action treatment back in July 2024, but rumours swirled in March 2025 that production had stalled due to the poor box office sales of the Snow White remake.
However, thanks to the major success of Lilo and Stitch, bosses have put Tangled back into production - with the two leads announced in January 2026 and the search for Mother Gothel continuing after Scarlett Johansson dropped out. Here's everything that's been said so far...
News about the Tangled live-action remake
March 2026: Kathryn Hahn confirmed as Mother Gothel
As mentioned, Kathryn Hahn was announced for the role of the film's antagonist, Mother Gothel, who was previously voiced by stage star Donna Murphy.
Best known for her roles in Anchorman, Bad Moms and the Marvel Universe as Agatha Harkness, Kathryn is also an accomplished singer - having performed on the stage and also singing in her series, Agatha All Along.
January 2026: First cast confirmed with Kathryn Hahn rumoured
Teagan Croft was announced as Rapunzel, while Milo Manheim was confirmed to be portraying Flynn Rider in January 2026. At this time, rumours began to swirl that Kathryn Hahn was being eyed for the role of the antagonist, Mother Gothel.
December 2025: Screen tests for Rapunzel and Scarlett Johansson drops out
In December, The Hollywood Reporter reported that screen tests and chemistry readings had been taking place in London, where several hopefuls had been trying out for the role of Rapunzel as well as her love interest, Flynn Rider.
The publication reported that sources had revealed Sarah Catherine Hook, Teagan Croft, Freya Skye and Olivia-Mai Barrett had all read for the part of Rapunzel, with The Summer I Turned Pretty actress Lola Tung also mentioned, but unable to test due to a scheduling conflict.
Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter also told readers that Scarlett Johansson, who had previously been linked to the role of Mother Gothel, would no longer be involved as she will be filming a reboot of The Exorcist and The Batman Part II next year.
October 2025: Tangled is back in production
According to reports by Variety, Disney decided to give the Tangled live-action remake the green light once again following the success of the Lilo and Stitch remake, which reportedly grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
In October 2025, the publication also reported that Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson was eyeing up the role of Mother Gothel, the main antagonist of the flick who steals Rapunzel from her parents as a baby and keeps her in a secret tower.
This wouldn't be Scarlett's first Disney live-action rodeo, having voiced the character of Kaa the Snake in the 2016 remake of The Jungle Book including singing his trademark song, 'Trust in Me'.
She also voiced the role of Ash the porcupine in 2016 film Sing and its 2021 sequel, performing multiple tracks for the soundtrack of both films. However, sadly following reports in December, it looks like she won't be involved in this project.
2024: Tangled live-action remake is announced
Reports circulated that a script had been drafted for a live-action remake, and that talks were underway with a potential director. Hollywood's Deadline reported that The Greatest Showman and Better Man director, Michael Gracey, had 'entered negotiations', confirming what fans had been suspecting for some time about a new movie.
Although Disney remained tight-lipped about the movie, it's been rumoured a draft script was already underway, with reports it'll follow the same plot as the animation.
March 2026: Kathryn Hahn cast as Mother Gothel
After months and months of swirling rumours, it was made official in March that Kathryn Hahn will play the deliciously devious Mother Gothel in Disney’s live-action Tangled.
Will Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi be in the live-action remake?
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of his film, Harold and the Purple Crayon in July 2024, original Flynn Rider actor Zachary Levi didn't completely rule out an appearance if the remake were to come to light: "I think it would be fun if Mandy and I got to be Rapunzel's parents. I think that would be a really fun little cameo for us to pop in to." We love this idea!
This came after Mandy Moore told Elite Daily how she would be open to a possible return to the franchise in another form.
"Maybe I could be Rapunzel's mom. Let's have a real mother-daughter duet, and have someone write an original song so we can talk about our differences and how hard it is to be a young person in this world," the actress suggested.
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