There’s a new tower rising on the Disney backlot, and the occupant has absolutely no intention of sharing those healing incantations. After months of whispers and wishful thinking, we finally have our Mother Gothel: Kathryn Hahn is officially stepping into the velvet cloak for Disney’s live-action Tangled.
The confirmation arrived in that distinctly modern way—through a perfectly choreographed social media moment. Hahn, who has been delighting us since her scene-stealing turns in Step Brothers and Anchorman, shared a video collaboration with Disney Studios featuring herself casually lounging in a Mother Gothel graphic tee. The caption? Simply “OOTD, Mother Gothel.” But the true chef’s kiss came with her username change to @motherhahn and a bio update reading “mother knows best” paired with a mirror emoji—because of course vanity is basically Gothel’s love language. When Disney Studios followed up with their own confirmation across platforms, the internet collectively gasped in that excited-yet-terrified way only a truly great casting announcement can provoke.
If you’re thinking Hahn feels like destiny for this role, you’re not alone. The actress has spent the last few years proving she can balance campy menace with genuine pathos through her portrayal of Agatha Harkness in WandaVision and Agatha All Along. She’s got the vocal chops, the comedic timing, and that specific ability to make you laugh while you’re simultaneously backing away slowly—all essential qualities for Rapunzel’s captor. While Scarlett Johansson’s name had circulated earlier as a possibility, Hahn’s involvement first surfaced as “in talks” back in the spring, and now we can officially celebrate what might be the most inspired villain casting since… well, since Agatha All Along.
For anyone who needs a refresher on why we’re all suddenly nervous for a certain long-haired princess, Mother Gothel isn’t your typical witch. She’s a vain, manipulative force of nature who kidnaps baby Rapunzel specifically to exploit the magical golden locks that keep her looking perpetually forty-something (relatable, honestly). Posing as an overprotective mother while gaslighting her “daughter” in that isolated tower, Gothel requires an actress who can sell “loving but toxic” with a side of theatrical flair. Hahn eating a poisoned apple? We simply have to stan.
Speaking of Rapunzel, she’ll be portrayed by Teagan Croft, whom genre fans will recognize as Raven from the Titans series. Our Flynn Rider—charming, smoldering, and hopefully still afraid of commitment—is Milo Manheim, who charmed us through four Zombies films and showed serious theater cred in Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar. It’s a fresh-faced cast that should bring new energy to the 2010 animated favorite.
The road to this tower hasn’t exactly been a straight shot. Development rumors first floated back in 2020, but the project officially landed on the slate in December 2024 with The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey attached to direct. Things got hairy (pun intended) this past April when the production hit pause following the underwhelming reception to Snow White, but the astronomical success of Lilo & Stitch this past summer clearly reminded the studio that magic still sells. By October, cameras were ready to roll again with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson penning the script.
We’re still waiting to see who will voice Maximus and whether Pascal will be practical or CGI, but for now, we’re simply glowing with anticipation. After all, if there’s one thing Kathryn Hahn has taught us, it’s that mother really does know best—even when she’s keeping you locked in a tower for eighteen years.
