Well, it seems Disney has decided to put Rapunzel back in her tower indefinitely. The live-action adaptation of Tangled, the 2010 animated hit, has been placed on hold, and you can thank Snow White for that. Or, more specifically, Snow White’s disastrous box office performance.
According to Variety, Disney had been actively developing the Tangled remake with Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) set to direct and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Thor: Love and Thunder) penning the script.
But after Snow White managed to pull in just $69 million domestically and $145 million globally — against a $270 million budget—Disney is having second thoughts about its live-action strategy.
Disney’s live-action remakes have been a mixed bag lately. Sure, there have been hits like The Lion King and Aladdin, but then you’ve got flops like The Little Mermaid and now Snow White, which critics and audiences alike have panned. With its lukewarm reception, Snow White is on track to lose hundreds of millions of dollars.
Many reasons have been thrown around to try and explain Snow White‘s flop including actress Rachel Zegler facing backlash for posting “free Palestine” on X while promoting the trailer. Other reasons include Gal Gadot‘s politics (Gadot is a staunch supporter of Israel) and the film faced several setbacks, including COVID-related delays, a fire on set, and the actors strike.
Also, both The Little Mermaid and Snow White faced a lot of racist backlash for casting women of colour as their leads.
So, what does this mean for Tangled? Well, it’s not dead… Yet. The project is officially “paused”, which is Hollywood-speak for ‘we’ll see if we feel like it later’.
No casting had been announced (though rumours swirled about Sabrina Carpenter or Avantika as Rapunzel), but pre-production was well underway before Disney decided to pump the brakes.
Meanwhile, Disney still has other live-action remakes in the pipeline. Next up is Lilo & Stitch, hitting cinemas on May 23, 2025. Then there’s the live-action Moana, set for July 10, 2026, which benefits from the animated sequel’s blockbuster success last year.
For now, fans of Tangled will have to make do with rewatching the original. As for Rapunzel’s big-screen comeback? Let’s just say she might be stuck in that tower for a while longer.
Lead image: Disney
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