Tangled's newly cast star, Milo Manheim, made one promise to fans ahead of his debut as the live-action Flynn Rider. News broke earlier in January that Manheim would star alongside Teagan Croft in the live-action adaptation of Disney's 2010 animated musical. The Tangled remake is part of an ongoing trend from Disney to re-release its animated classics in live-action, which saw success in 2025 with Lilo & Stitch.
It's still early days for Tangled and the live-action adaptation doesn't even have a release date yet, but anticipation is mounting following the casting of Rapunzel and Flynn. During promotion for School Spirits Season 3, Manheim told The Direct he was only "at the beginning of the process" of his role in Tangled, but that he "care[s] so deeply" about Flynn Rider.
Manheim said the role was wish fulfilment for him, as he'd always dreamed of "being a bandit on the run in this beautiful, aesthetic world." Reflecting on how his portrayal might be different from the animated version, the actor added an assurance that he would "honor" the original "the best he can:"
Milo Manheim: "You know, I'm at the beginning of the process right now, and I've been talking to the director, Michael Gracey, and we're sort of figuring that out together. But I love this movie with all my heart, the original one, and I care so deeply about this character as well.
Something that I've kind of figured out is, what Flynn Rider is to Eugene Fitzherbert, Flynn Rider is to me. I've always wanted to be an adventurer and this larger-than-life guy, I never wanted to be a thief, but [someone] who saves the day or whatever. There's an intrigue to that. You know what I mean? It's just being like a bandit on the run in this beautiful, aesthetic world.
So, I can't wait, and I'm gonna figure it out as I go. But I promise you, I will honor it the best I can."
Manheim takes over the role of Flynn Rider from Zachary Levi, who voiced the character in the 2010 film alongside Mandy Moore as Rapunzel. Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman, Better Man) is attached to direct the new Disney movie, which also almost starred Scarlett Johansson.
Milo Manheim Plans To Do Flynn Rider Justice
Since his introduction 16 years ago, Flynn Rider has become one of Disney's most beloved animated princes. The character undergoes a thorough transformation in Tangled, beginning as a wisecracking bandit and eventually coming to terms with his heritage as Prince Eugene Fitzherbert and marrying Rapunzel. Now, fans will be able to re-experience this journey once again in Tangled's live-action story.
The search for Tangled's live-action leads was a long search, with Manheim up against several other actors for the role, including Julie and the Phantoms' Charlie Gillespie. Following the announcement of Manheim's casting, original star Zachary Levi gave him his blessing, commenting on his Instagram post of the news with "Congrats, Milo! Now go do Eugene Fitzherbert proud."
That is exactly what Manheim plans to do, with the actor seemingly very committed to doing the character justice in live-action.
The Tangled film will follow 2026's Moana adaptation, another of Disney's successful animated movies from the 2010s to receive the remake treatment. The studio's live-action remakes have been hit or miss over the years, with some, like Lilo & Stitch and The Lion King, earning big box office numbers, and others, like Snow White, being panned.
