Disney Casts Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim as Leads in Live-Action Tangled

Walt Disney Pictures has found its stars for the live-action adaptation of Tangled.

Rising Australian actress Teagan Croft has been cast as Rapunzel, the curious young woman with magical hair who dreams of life beyond her tower. Milo Manheim will play Flynn Rider, the charming outlaw who helps her escape.

The film will be directed by Michael Gracey, known for The Greatest Showman and Better Man. Like the animated original, the new Tangled will feature major musical elements.
Producing the film is Kristin Burr, whose recent credits include Freakier Friday and Disney’s live-action Cruella. The script was written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, known for Do Revenge and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Disney reportedly conducted an extensive casting search in the U.S. and U.K., with finalists screen-testing in London in December. Croft and Manheim now step into roles originally voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi in the 2010 animated hit, which is widely considered a modern Disney classic.

Landing a Disney live-action lead can be career-changing. These films often draw massive global audiences and can turn rising actors into household names. At the same time, expectations are high, especially for a beloved movie like Tangled, which grossed $591 million worldwide and later inspired a successful Disney Channel series.

Disney is said to be moving carefully with the project. The next major casting decision will be for the villain Mother Gothel, a role that was previously linked to Scarlett Johansson. Lucy Kitada is serving as an executive producer.

Croft is best known for playing Raven in the DC series Titans, which ran from 2018 to 2023. She also starred as sailor Jessica Watson in the Netflix film True Spirit.

Manheim, the son of actress Camryn Manheim, rose to fame through Disney Channel’s Zombies franchise, appearing in four films. He has also starred in the Paramount+ series School Spirits and played Seymour in a stage revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

With its leads now set, Disney’s live-action Tangled is moving closer to bringing Rapunzel’s story back to the big screen for a new generation.