Outlanders Caitriona Balfe Cast in Live Action Tangled

Casting Expands With Balfe, Cowan, and the Stabbington Twins

The live-action adaptation of the 2010 animated fantasy musical has found its Queen Arianna, casting five-time Golden Globe nominee Caitríona Balfe as Rapunzel’s long-lost mother. Balfe joins a growing ensemble that includes Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider, alongside Kathryn Hahn as the antagonist Mother Gothel and Diego Luna as a new character, Hawthorne, in the Michael Gracey-helmed movie from a script by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and Michael Montemayor.

Additional casting announcements revealed Elliot Cowan of The Crown taking on the role of King Frederic, while Patrick and Hugo McPherson of Pear will portray the Stabbington twins. In the original 2010 animated movie, magical long-haired Rapunzel was voiced by Mandy Moore and spent her entire life in a tower until runaway thief Flynn Ryder, voiced by Zachary Levi, stumbles upon her, after which she sets out to discover the world for the first time and who she really is. The original animated voice cast also included Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, Brad Garrett, and Jeffrey Tambor. Production on the live-action film officially began in Spain in June, under the direction of Michael Gracey, who previously helmed The Greatest Showman. Lucy Kitada and Jessica Virtue executive produce the project, while Kristin Burr serves as producer.

Production Timeline and Box Office Context

The project first reported to be in development in December 2024, though it was put on hold the following April after the “Snow White” adaptation failed to impress at the box office, earning only $69 million domestically and $145 million globally. By comparison, the original 2010 animated feature brought in $592 million at the global box office.

That original film’s success has led to various spinoffs, including the short film “Tangled Ever After” and the television series “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.” Its hit song, I See the Light, earned an Oscar nomination for best original song at the 2011 ceremony, plus Golden Globe nominations for best animated feature and song.

First Footage and Character Perspectives at D23

Attendees at the Disney Entertainment Showcase during Friday’s D23 fan event in Anaheim caught the first exclusive look at footage from the remake, showing Croft and Hahn in character, though Caitríona Balfe was not featured in the footage teased. Speaking from the D23 stage Friday, Hahn shared her enthusiasm for stepping into the shoes of the story’s antagonist who locks Rapunzel away.

I love playing Mother Gothel. She’s stunning, hilarious, fab, kind, generous to a fault,

Kathryn Hahn, Variety

Hahn added from the D23 stage that her character might be overprotective but that’s because she cares so much. The live-action script is written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and Michael Montemayor, with Michael Gracey directing following his work on “The Greatest Showman.” Lucy Kitada and Jessica Virtue serve as executive producers, and Kristin Burr produces the feature ahead of its March 31, 2028 debut announced during Friday’s D23 panel.