Tangled rumor suggests Baz Luhrmann could direct Disney’s live-action adaptation

Last Updated on August 30, 2023

Industry insider Daniel Richtman is firing up the old rumor mill this Monday by saying Disney is looking for Elvis filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to helm its live-action adaptation of Tangled. While there has yet to be an official word from Disney about Luhrmann boarding the project, rumblings about a live-action adaptation of Tangled have circulated for weeks. In addition to Luhrmann potentially eyeing the director’s chair, Richtman says Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Black Widow, Oppenheimer) is up to play the lead with sentient locks.

It’s worth noting that even though Richtman’s prediction track record is impressive, industry vet Jeff Sneider says Richtman’s been ill-informed about details related to Disney‘s live-action version of Tangled. While I could see Luhrmann directing, I find it hard to believe Pugh would star as Rapunzel. What do you think?

In Disney’s 2010 animated masterpiece, the magically long-haired Rapunzel spends her entire life in a tower. Still, now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world and who she really is for the first time.

Mandy Moore voices Rapunzel in the animated original, with Zachary Levi playing the thief, Flynn Rider. Donna Murphy plays the story’s primary antagonist, Mother Gothel, a vain woman siphoning the power of Rapunzel’s hair to remain beautiful and extend her lifespan. Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, and Paul F. Thompkins star as support cast members.

The tale of Rapunzel was first published by the famous storytelling duo The Brothers Grimm in 1812 as part of a collection of stories entitled “Children’s and Household Tales.” Initially, Rapunzel was an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force, published in 1698. Countless others have since retold the famous story, which remains a beloved bedtime story for children worldwide to this day. Each version has carried its unique twists and turns. Still, the iconic imagery of the tower, the vain villain, and Rapunzel’s long, magical, golden locks have remained consistent throughout each iteration.

Do you think there’s any truth to Baz Luhrmann directing a live-action version of Tangled? Who would you cast as Rapunzel? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.