Disney has been creating live action remakes of their animated movies since 1994, when the live action Jungle Book was released. And since 2015, they have been creating live action remakes of the Disney princess animated movies, starting with Cinderella, and growing from there with seven princesses brought to life in the past decade. The next princess has been chosen for a live action remake, and let’s just say fans have mixed opinions on the casting for this one.
Tangled was first reported of being brought to live action in December of 2024, and fans have been speculating who the casting will be since. It was released towards the end of 2025, who had screen tested for the roles of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and who the top contestants were. Below is a list of the actors who auditioned, and screen tested but ultimately didn’t get the roles.
Rapunzel Contenders & Screen Testers
- Freya Skye (Zombies 4)
- Sarah Catherine Hook (The White Lotus)
- Olivia-Mai Barrett (Invasion)
- Lola Tung (The Summer I Turned Pretty)
- Sabrina Carpenter (Reportedly met with Disney)
Flynn Rider Contenders & Screen Testers
- Charlie Gillespie (Julie and the Phantoms)
- Gilli Jones (Scottish stage actor)
- Mason Thames (The Black Phone)
When it comes to picking actors for the Disney Princess live remakes, it is a very thorough and thoughtful process. There has been a lot of backlash with previous live princess remakes, and Tangled was already getting backlash after interviews were released of actors who said they wanted to play the roles, because the audience didn’t believe those actors fit into the roles.
In January of 2026, it was released who had gotten the roles of Rapunzel and Flynn, and many fans were happy, but there were many who still wanted the other actors who had screen tested before. Milo Manheim was cast for the role of Flynn Rider, and Taylor Croft was cast for the role of Rapunzel. Many fans were thrilled, a fan on TikTok stated, “I’m very happy with this casting as someone who’s favorite princess is Rapunzel.” But there are also fans that criticized the castings saying how Teagan Croft’s “eyes aren’t green enough” or how she just doesn’t “fit the role” of Rapunzel.
What are your thoughts on the Tangled drama, and who would you have wanted to see cast as Flynn Rider and Rapunzel?
