Outlander royalty alert: a major star is Queen Arianna in the live-action Tangled remake
Disney’s live-action Tangled has crowned its Queen Arianna — and she’s an Outlander star stepping in as Rapunzel’s mum.
Right, in a move that will surprise absolutely no one who’s tracked Disney’s obsession with going live-action, Caitríona Balfe – yes, Claire Fraser herself from Outlander – has landed a key role in the next big studio remake. She’s set to play Queen Arianna, Rapunzel’s mum, in the live-action reimagining of Tangled. If you’ve got flashbacks of the 2010 animated hit, it’s all coming back around – just with more real hair this time.
Tangled's live-action remake is slated to hit cinemas on 31 March 2028.
Disney dropped the casting news at their usual D23 fan extravaganza, where they also announced Elliot Cowan as King Frederic (that’s Rapunzel’s dad for those keeping score) and a casting choice for the Stabbington twins – that job’s going to Patrick and Hugo McPherson. So it’s fair to say they’re loading up on recognisable faces – or, in the twins’ case, two of them.
Main cast and production updates
- Teagan Croft leads the charge as Rapunzel
- Milo Manheim steps into Flynn Rider’s boots (could absolutely go either way, charisma-wise)
- Kathryn Hahn nabs the scene-stealer slot as Mother Gothel, the villain you secretly like
- Diego Luna joins as Hawthorne – a fresh character made just for this version, though Disney's keeping lips zipped about who or what he is
Filming is already ticking away over at Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante, with production underway and a fair few unofficial set snaps circulating online. Disney also teased short clips at D23, showing Croft and Hahn in character – early signs look exactly as glossy and over-the-top as you’d expect from modern Mouse House productions.
A reminder of the original plot
For anyone who avoided the original or merely forgot, the animated Tangled had Rapunzel hidden away in a tower thanks to some rather coveted magical hair, only for a wily thief named Flynn Rider to bumble in while dodging the local guards. From there, she breaks free, finally experiencing the outside world (cue lanterns, and a lot of singing), while Mother Gothel chases after her to keep hold of the hair with all those healing powers. If you haven’t seen it, yes, there’s a horse with a badge and some deeply strange bandits too.
This time out, Kristin Burr and Michael De Luca are producing, and Disney’s circled 31 March 2028 for the film’s theatrical release.