Scarlett Johansson is reportedly no longer in the running to play Mother Gothel in a live-action adaptation of Disney’s Tangled.
Itself a retelling of the German fairy tale Rapunzel, Tangled, released in 2010, tells the story of the titular princess (voiced by Mandy Moore), who is trapped within the confines of her secret tower alongside Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy).
Forbidden to leave, her life is turned upside down when she accepts the help of an intruder, outlaw Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), to see the outside world.
A live-action adaptation was first announced last year, with The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey attached to direct.
Updates on the project went silent, with the project reportedly put on pause back in April.
But The Hollywood Reporter states that screen tests and readings for the film have taken place, narrowing down who could appear as these iconic characters in the next huge Disney live-action remake.
It was previously reported that Black Widow star Johansson was in the running to play Mother Gothel in the film, but the publication claimed ‘that is no longer the case.’
They said that she will now be shooting a reboot of The Exorcist as well as The Batman Part II in 2026, and therefore will not be able to take part in Rapunzel.
It was also claimed The Summer I Turned Pretty star Lola Tung was among those eyed up for the film, but due to a scheduling conflict, did not do a test for any roles.
For Flynn Rider, Zombies’ Milo Mangeim and Splitsville’s Charlie Gillespie were among the names thrown in the mix.
It is unknown whether any of the voice actors from the original film will be involved in the project.
Filming for Tangled is said to be kicking off in June next year, a source told The Hollywood Reporter.
Last month is was announced that Johansson had joined the case of Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of William Friedkin’s horror classic The Exorcist.
It follows 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, but will ignore the events of David Gordon Green’s heavily criticised film.
Will Disney’s live-action adaption of Tangled work?
Metro’s film editor, Tori Brazier, has her say on whether Disney’s latest live-action project will be a success…
Tangled is one of my all-time favourite Disney films, and one of the last movies for which I felt the studio truly channelled their famous Renaissance-era energy of the ‘90s.
But I am nervous about the news that the live-action remake is in development again. There’s always the wisdom that you shouldn’t mess with perfection and leave well enough alone – although a small part of me is already imagining that gorgeous production design re-interpreted away from animation, what new songs could be added, and who will be cast.
However, the most frustrating thing about Disney’s relentless remake strategy is that often the worst ones perform the best – the versions that brought barely anything new to the table and concentrated largely on being a shot-for-shot do-over (yes, I’m talking about 2019’s The Lion King and its soulless Discovery Channel-esque CGI).
I’m also concerned by the ever-decreasing gap between when the original film came out and when the remake appears after the Lilo and Stitch remake was released in May, 23 years after the first version – and promptly grossed over $1billion.
Moana’s live-action remake will be in cinemas next summer, just a decade after the original – and we already had the animated sequel last year. Tangled only came out 15 years ago.
It made more sense to me when Disney were ‘reinterpreting’ their classics from the 1950s and ‘60s like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle Book. The decades that had passed meant things were rightfully adjusted and expanded to both suit modern tastes and increase the scope of what was possible.
If they want to succeed artistically with this new Tangled rather than just in terms of raking in box office returns, I want to see the remake draw more inspiration from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale or deviate from the exact same narrative as before (I actually liked the much-maligned Snow White for this).
I also want them to tread extremely carefully when it comes to handling Pascal and Max, who are both top-tier Disney sidekicks, but I can already imagine being animated in some sort of hyper-realistic nightmare fuel style that strips them of all the charm the cartoon gave them.
But, mainly, I am just desperate for them to do something creatively different and dredge up some of that old Disney magic.
Speaking to Deadline, Doctor Sleep and Ouija: Origin of Evil director Flanagan said: ‘Scarlett is a brilliant actress whose captivating performances always feel grounded and real, from genre films to summer blockbusters, and I couldn’t be happier to have her join this Exorcist film.’
It has been a massive year for Johansson, who made her directorial debut with the comedy film Eleanor the Great.
The film stars June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein, a 94-year-old woman who moves to New York and joins a Holocaust survivors group.
Eleanor the Great premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for two awards, eventually going on to win the Audience Award at the Deauville American Film Festival.
Metro has contacted representatives for Scarlett Johansson and Disney for comment.
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