A planned adaptation of Disney’s 2010 animated hit Tangled has reportedly hit the brakes as the studio rethinks its Disney Princess live-action strategy. According to the Hollywood Reporter, sources close to Disney say the film has been “put on pause” and that there’s uncertainty in regards to “whether Tangled will move forward down the road or undergo a creative rethink.”
It’s concerning to see after Snow White‘s middling reception—it’s currently at 40% for critics, 73% for audiences on Rotten Tomatoes—due to critically panned casting for the Evil Queen and mixed results on CG dwarfs. Rachel Zegler’s performance was unanimously praised in most reviews as the film’s biggest strength. The actress overcame racist online bullying over her casting with audiences and a smear attempt over political posts even before the film’s release in an apparent move to pin the film’s struggle on her. So far, Snow White has made a modest $69 million domestically and $145 million worldwide against its $270 million budget, which was inflated due to the 2023 labor strikes, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Tangled also briefly faced similar online culture war discourse to Snow White and The Little Mermaid when Mean Girls musical star Avantika was rumored to be in the running for the role of Rapunzel. It was never confirmed she was being seen for the part and yet she still faced internet attacks and harassment from those against the idea.
The reaction to this summer’s Lilo & Stitch may determine how Disney will handle its live-action adaptations moving forward. It will be curious to see how Snow White does on Disney+, as it could be much like Encanto and find its audience on the streamer. Perhaps this pause on Tangled, rather than outright shelving, might be a way of waiting to be informed on what to do between the box office and home streaming performances of both live-action films released in 2025.
Still in the pipeline are the live-action Moana, which is now in production, and Hercules, which is in pre-production. For now we’ll keep waiting for Rapunzel to let down her live-action hair.
io9 reached out to Disney for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
