Corey Mylchreest says he auditioned to play Flynn Rider in Disney’s planned live-action Tangled, adding with a laugh that his tryout “wasn’t very good” and that the filmmakers told him they wanted “someone with singing experience.” The Queen Charlotte actor shared the story while promoting his new film, noting he can sing but didn’t land the part. His comments arrive as the project itself remains on pause after Disney slowed development on several remakes this spring.
The audition revelation refocuses attention on a remake that had gathered momentum late last year. Director Michael Gracey was in talks to lead the film with a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and producers Kristin Burr and Lucy Kitada were attached, but the studio pulled back following the underperformance of Snow White, according to multiple trade reports. Disney has not announced a new timetable.
Tangled remains one of the most durable modern titles in the company’s animated library. The 2010 original, voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, earned about $592 million worldwide and helped revive interest in fairy-tale musicals for a new generation. Its afterlife included a short film and a television series, which is why a live-action take drew early curiosity from fans and industry watchers alike.
Mylchreest’s anecdote also lands in a long-running casting conversation around Flynn Rider. Levi, who originated the role in animation, has previously suggested that if a remake moved forward he’d favor a younger leading man with musical chops—at one point name-checking Timothée Chalamet—underscoring the premium any production would place on on-camera singing. That emphasis tracks with Mylchreest’s account of feedback from his audition.
More broadly, the stalled Tangled reflects a recalibration in how major studios approach legacy titles after a mixed run for live-action reimaginings. Even so, the brand’s commercial history and the creative team once circling the remake suggest the project could reemerge if market conditions improve. For now, the story is less about a finished casting decision than about an actor’s near-miss—and a franchise momentarily stuck between strong demand and shifting strategy.
