Disney has hit pause on development of a live-action version of its animated hit “Tangled,” an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. The move comes in the wake of the studio’s latest live-action remake, “Snow White,” bombing at the box office with just $70 million domestic after two weeks in theaters — a far cry from the $174 million opening weekend of “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017 and $92 million opening weekend of “Aladdin” in 2019.
Michael Gracey, the filmmaker behind “The Greatest Showman” and this year’s Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man,” was attached to direct from a script by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (“Thor: Love and Thunder”).
Released in 2010 and directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, “Tangled” was a twist on Rapunzel and marked the beginning of a creative resurgence at Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film grossed nearly $600 million worldwide.
“Snow White,” starring Rachel Zegler as the Disney princess and Gal Gadot as the evil queen, was besieged by poor reviews and a low $42 million opening weekend when it hit theaters last month. It came on the heels of disappointing box office for Disney’s other recent live-action takes of animated films, including 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” and last year’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
The live-action remake strategy has been a Disney hallmark for over a decade, as films like “Alice in Wonderland,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” regularly soared past $1 billion at the box office. But there have been diminishing returns as of late.
Which isn’t to say Disney has fully given up on the model. This summer they’ll release a live-action adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch,” and a live-action version of “Moana” — starring Dwayne Johnson — hits theaters next July
THR was first to report the news.
