It doesn’t look like Disney is moving away from its live-action remakes any time soon, with Tangled being the latest film set to get the treatment.
That news comes via a Deadline article on Wednesday, which also reports that Michael Gracey, best known for the 2017 Hugh Jackman musical The Greatest Showman, is in talks to direct. Further details are unknown other than the fact that it will likely follow the same beats as Disney’s 2010 animated feature, an adaptation of the Rapunzel fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
Tangled marked a big milestone for Disney as its 50th animated feature and, by most accounts, lived up to its promise. Following Rapunzel as a cooped-up princess eager to leave her secluded tower, Tangled received positive reviews and grossed $592.5 million worldwide. It’s currently unclear if any of its star-studded cast, including Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy, will be returning for this adaptation.
And, of course, it’s only the latest in what’s become a long string of live-action remakes for Disney. Among the many other films in its library to get translated into live-action are Alice in Wonderland, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Dumbo, with The Lion King getting a CGI revamp. Several of these movies (Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) have crossed the coveted $1 billion box office mark worldwide.
Though the most recent live-action remake, 2023’s The Little Mermaid, showed some signs of the strategy turning toward deminishing returns, grossing a solid but not remarkable $569 million worldwide, that clearly wasn’t enough to detir Disney from moving forward with more films in the format. Others, including Hercules and Bambi, are said to be in the works as well, with live-action takes on Lilo & Stitch and Snow White coming out next year.
Meanwhile, Disney’s Mufasa, a CGI The Lion King prequel, will hit theaters this Christmas, and should shed more light on whether or not audiences are officially tiring of this format. For more, check out everything we know about every upcoming Disney live-action remake.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
