Richard is a writer/journalist from Oregon (by way of California) with a love of Marvel, Star Wars, DC, and all kinds of entertainment. He joined MovieWeb in January 2026 as a Movie & TV Writer/Editor. Richard has published articles, videos, and interviews with The Direct (Senior Writer), Agents of Fandom, and The Illuminerdi, and has attended a handful of live Comic Cons, premieres, and other events.
Amidst a slew of live-action remakes of classic Disney animated movies (including billion-dollar hits like 2025’s Lilo & Stitch), the company is now ready to deliver a new take on 2010’s Tangled. This was Disney’s 50th animated feature film, led by Mandy Moore as Rapunzel (known for her long magic hair) and Zachary Levi as the rascal Flynn Rider. Over a decade and a half later, The Greatest Showman director Michael Lacy will lead the efforts on this movie, based on a script written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (I Know What You Did Last Summer) and newcomer Michael Montemayor.
While Tangled has taken a long time to get off the ground, Disney officially cast Titans star Teagan Croft as the live-action Rapunzel and Zombies lead Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider. Joining them is Kathryn Hahn as the evil Mother Gothel, after becoming recognized worldwide for her snark and singing prowess in the MCU’s WandaVision and Agatha All Along as Agatha Harkness. Now, while the movie is still early in production and a ways out from its release, Disney gave select fans the chance to see the progress the team has made thus far.
Disney released the first look at the production of the live-action Tangled movie during its massive Friday night panel at the 2026 D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, showing it only to the live crowd rather than sharing it online. Starting with floating lanterns lighting up the room and the screen, the video panned across dozens of feet of silky blonde hair before showing the first look at leading star Teagan Croft in the classic hair and purple dress of the Disney princess Rapunzel.
Croft and co-star Milo Maheim (Flynn Rider) spoke to the camera and shared behind-the-scenes footage of their time in Spain, mostly showing the scenery and natural locations as Maheim discussed the “very real and beautiful places” where they are shooting. Fans also got a new look at the official title card for the movie, which reconfirmed its Mar. 31, 2028 theatrical release date.
More to come…
