Disney Fanatics express a lot of very strong opinions when it comes to castings for animated Disney movie remakes (such as the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid and the live-action Moana, not to mention the controversial upcoming Princess and the Frog adaptation).
Now that a live-action Tangled is on the way, the Internet is all abuzz with rumors about someone unexpected who might be playing Rapunzel: Florence Pugh!
No More Mandy Moore?
Even though the beloved actress Mandy Moore voiced Rapunzel originally, she and her co-star Zachary Levi do not appear to be returning for the remake at this time — which leaves room for Florence Pugh (and perhaps this Bollywood star) to step in!
An Unexpected Choice…
Florence Pugh is known for taking on darker, more serious roles in movies like the brand-new film Oppenheimer, Lady Macbeth (2016), and Midsommar (2019).
However, the English actress did show off her comedic chops when she played Yelena Belova in the 2021 Marvel film Black Widow and the follow-up series entitled Hawkeye.
Rapunzel is a famously-lighthearted character with a pervasive sense of whimsy, even among Disney Princesses, so the casting of a dry-humored actress whose previous characterizations have skewed towards sarcasm has thrown some Disney Fanatics for a loop!
A petition on Change.org entitled “Disney to cast Florence Pugh as their Live-Action Rapunzel” has 500 signatures, but there still seems to be a great deal of hostility when it comes to the Little Women actress’s potential Tangled casting.
This petition was met with a strong divide among people (with one person’s caustic response being “are you blind??”), and the casting rumors that are currently overtaking X (formerly known as Twitter) are also highly-polarized.
“LET THIS IDEA GO”
“LET THIS IDEA GO PLEASE. RAPUNZEL IS SUPPOSED TO BE 18,” one angry Disney fan replied.
Another X user (who seemed unfamiliar with wigs or hair extensions) complained that Florence Pugh’s “hair is not nearly long enough“ — and yet another X user declared that Pugh “doesn’t suit the character at all.”
The rumor has reportedly been started by Daniel Richtman, via the Tweet shown below by Geek Vibes Nation.
Disney reportedly wants Florence Pugh to play Rapunzel in their live-action #Tangled movie
(@RPK_NEWS1) pic.twitter.com/jmMwjLPvgt
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) August 11, 2023
This is just a rumor for now, but if Disney does cast Florence Pugh, then fans have already chosen her Eugene Fitzherbert and Flynn Rider!
