In a fairy tale twist worthy of the Brothers Grimm themselves, Disney has dusted off its enchanted hairbrush and revived the long-dormant live-action adaptation of Tangled, the 2010 animated smash that turned Rapunzel’s golden tresses into a box-office braid worth over $592 million worldwide. According to fresh rumors swirling through the Mouse House corridors, the studio—fresh off the underwhelming box-office tumble of its Snow White remake earlier this year—has quietly pulled the project from indefinite hold and is gearing up for a major cast announcement as early as November 2025. At the center of the speculation? A heated race for the role of Rapunzel between two rising stars: Indian-American breakout Avantika Vandanapu and British-Ghanaian talent Francesca Amewudah-Rivers. This isn’t just casting chatter; it’s a high-stakes showdown that could redefine Disney’s princess paradigm, blending fresh faces with the studio’s signature blend of nostalgia, music, and mischief. As insiders whisper of screen tests and script tweaks, fans are left wondering: Will Rapunzel’s tower finally crumble under the weight of diverse dreams, or will online trolls clip the wings of progress once more?

The revival news couldn’t come at a more opportune moment for Disney, which has mastered the art of turning animated classics into live-action goldmines—think The Lion King‘s $1.6 billion haul or Beauty and the Beast‘s $1.26 billion enchantment. Tangled, with its irreverent spin on the Rapunzel legend, was always a prime candidate for the treatment: a sassy tower-bound teen, a roguish thief named Flynn Rider, and a villainous faux-mother whose “Mother Knows Best” mantra hides a dagger-sharp agenda. Directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, the original film was a critical darling, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song (“I See the Light”) and spawning a short (Tangled Ever After) and a TV series (Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure). Its Broadway-ready tunes, courtesy of Alan Menken and lyricists Glenn Slater and Stephen Schwartz, scream for a stage-like spectacle on the big screen. Yet, the path to this live-action glow-up has been anything but a lantern-lit stroll.

Whispers of a Tangled remake first surfaced in early 2023, fueled by fan-casting frenzy on platforms like TikTok and X, where users photoshopped dream ensembles into existence. By December 2024, Disney made it official: The project was greenlit, with The Greatest Showman helmer Michael Gracey attached to direct, promising a visually acrobatic feast of CGI hair physics and high-wire romance. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Bodyguard TV series) penned the latest script draft, infusing it with modern wit—think Rapunzel’s frying-pan fights reimagined as viral TikTok takedowns. Producers Kristin Burr (of Cruella fame) and Emmy-winner Lucy Kitada (The Baby-Sitters Club) were tapped to shepherd the vision, aiming for a 2027 release window. But just four months later, in April 2025, the rug was pulled: Disney hit pause amid the Snow White debacle, where Rachel Zegler’s bold take on the dwarves and dwarves’ song sparked boycott calls and a disappointing $450 million global gross—far short of expectations.

The halt was a seismic blow, echoing the studio’s post-Mulan (2020) soul-searching. Insiders cited “creative recalibrations” and a desire to avoid another PR quagmire, especially after Snow White‘s debates over “woke” updates. Gracey, known for his flair with musical spectacles (who could forget Hugh Jackman’s P.T. Barnum belting atop elephants?), reportedly pushed for bolder risks: a Rapunzel who’s more hacker than damsel, phasing through digital walls in a kingdom updated for the algorithm age. Yet, the pause lingered like a bad curse, with rumors of shelved sets in London’s Pinewood Studios and abandoned hair-extension prototypes gathering dust. Fans mourned on social media, launching #ReleaseTangled petitions that amassed 500,000 signatures. “Disney’s killing the magic,” one viral thread lamented, juxtaposing concept art of a multicultural kingdom against the original’s Euro-fairy aesthetic.

Enter October 2025: Like a phoenix rising from enchanted ashes, reports emerged that Disney was quietly resuming early development. Deadline broke the story on October 9, revealing Scarlett Johansson—Black Widow herself—was circling the plum villain role of Mother Gothel, the aging sorceress whose vanity-fueled kidnapping sets the plot in motion. Johansson, 40 and riding high post-Asteroid City, brings a chilling charisma to the part; imagine her purring “Mother Knows Best” with the same sly menace she unleashed in Marriage Story. Her involvement signals Disney’s vote of confidence: A-listers draw crowds, and Gothel’s showstopper numbers demand a vocal powerhouse. With Gracey back in talks and Robinson polishing the script, the film is eyeing a production start in early 2026, potentially for a 2028 bow. But the real electricity? The Rapunzel sweepstakes, where Avantika and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers emerge as the top two contenders, each embodying the character’s spirit in wildly different ways.

Avantika Vandanapu, 19, has been the internet’s darling for Rapunzel since 2023, when a fan-casting tweet exploded, amassing millions of likes for her luminous smile and cascade of dark waves that could pass for enchanted locks. Born in San Francisco to Telugu parents, Avantika burst onto screens as young Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who‘s 2023 specials, holding her own against Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. Her star turn as scheming Karen Shetty in the 2024 Mean Girls musical remake—complete with a killer “Sexy” remix—cemented her as a Gen-Z icon, blending sharp comedy with heartfelt vulnerability. “I’m all about owning your weird,” she told Variety post-premiere, a ethos that mirrors Rapunzel’s tower-bound rebellion. Rumors pegged her for screen tests opposite Milo Manheim (Zombies) as Flynn back in March 2025, with leaks describing chemistry “as electric as the lanterns.” Avantika’s already Disney-adjacent, executive-producing and starring in the upcoming A Crown of Wishes adaptation—a Hindu mythology fantasy on Disney+—proving her chops in princess garb without the tiara.

Yet, Avantika’s path has been thornier than a briar patch. In April 2024, a fake tweet claiming she’d locked Rapunzel ignited a racist firestorm: Trolls flooded her Instagram with slurs, memes dubbing her “not blonde enough,” and death threats that forced her to go private. “You’re NOT Rapunzel,” one viral post sneered, echoing the Halle Bailey Little Mermaid backlash. Avantika clapped back gracefully in a Teen Vogue op-ed: “Rapunzel’s story is about breaking free—why chain it to outdated ideals?” The incident spotlighted Hollywood’s colorism, drawing support from Zendaya and Priyanka Chopra, but it left scars. Now, with the revival, her name resurfaces as a frontrunner, insiders saying Disney sees her as a “safe bet for buzz” post-controversy. Imagine her belting “When Will My Life Begin?” with a Desi flair, her 70-foot hair a metaphor for cultural roots unbound.

Pitted against her is Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, 27, whose poised intensity has turned heads from stage to screen. A London native of Ghanaian and English descent, Francesca made her mark in The Serpent Queen (2022) as Rahima, the cunning maid navigating French court intrigue—earning raves for her “fierce, layered gaze.” Her breakout came opposite Tom Holland in the West End’s Romeo & Juliet revival this May, where she infused Juliet with modern fire, selling out houses and sparking tabloid frenzy over their off-stage spark (denied, of course). Critics hailed her “electric vulnerability,” perfect for Rapunzel’s wide-eyed wanderlust. Rumors of her Tangled bid bubbled up in July 2025, post-Juliet bows, with a blind item in The Hollywood Reporter teasing a “British ingenue with royal poise” testing for the princess. Francesca’s no stranger to fantasy; she voiced a lead in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022), wielding a sword with the grace of a lantern dance.

Francesca’s candidacy adds a transatlantic twist, her multicultural heritage aligning with Disney’s push for global appeal post-Mufasa: The Lion King. Yet, she’s no stranger to scrutiny: Her Romeo & Juliet casting drew similar racist barbs—”Juliet’s not Black!”—which she dismissed with a poetic Instagram post: “Love defies borders; so does art.” Insiders buzz that her vocal range—trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama—could elevate Menken’s score, perhaps reimagining “I’ve Got a Dream” as a soulful ensemble. Paired with potential Flynns like Manheim or Queen Charlotte‘s Corey Mylchreest (who auditioned pre-pause), she’d bring a grounded romance, her Rapunzel less damsel, more diplomat in a kingdom of chameleons.

The November announcement tease—whispered at a Burbank exec retreat—stems from Disney’s D23 Expo hangover, where Lilo & Stitch‘s $1.03 billion triumph (the year’s top earner) proved live-action remakes still enchant. With Johansson’s Gothel locking in star power, the studio aims to unveil Rapunzel alongside Flynn and Pascal (the chameleon, voiced by a yet-unnamed comedian—Delroy Lindo? Awkwafina?). Other rumored roles: Will Poulter as the Stabbington Brothers, or Anya Taylor-Joy as a fierce Cassandra from the series. Gracey’s vision leans musical-heavy, with original songs teased to weave in modern themes like found family and self-discovery, dodging Snow White‘s pitfalls by honoring the source while updating for inclusivity.

This Rapunzel race underscores Disney’s tightrope: Chasing billions while courting controversy. Avantika represents youthful rebellion, her casting a bold stroke against typecasting; Francesca offers seasoned depth, bridging stage gravitas with screen sparkle. Whichever prevails, the choice signals evolution—from blonde-locked archetype to a heroine whose strength lies in her story, not her shade. As production ramps—sets scouting Ireland’s emerald glens for the forest kingdom—fans hold lanterns high. In a world of reboots, Tangled‘s return isn’t just a film; it’s a mirror, reflecting how far we’ve come (and how far we have to go) in letting down our hair. November can’t come soon enough—because when Rapunzel lets loose, the whole kingdom lights up.