Alan Menken gives update on Disney's Tangled live action movie and confirms stage adaptation in the works
The legendary American composer, 75, worked on the original 2010 animated movie which is loosely based on the German fairy tale Rapunzel in the collection of folktales published by the Brothers Grimm.
Featuring the voice talents of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy, it tells the story of Rapunzel, a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. She accepts the help of an intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen.
The animated feature's success inspired the 2012 short film Tangled Ever After and 2017 TV series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.
It also saw EGOT Menken earn his 19th Oscar nomination for the song I See the Light.
The House of Mouse confirmed in December that a live action film had been greenlit, helmed by Greatest Showman and Better Man director Michael Gracey.
While Menken - who is set to perform his first ever UK solo shows at the London Palladium next month - says they are 'just at the starting gate', he told The Standard in a rare interview that he's 'excited' for what's to come.
Speculation online has seen Florence Pugh a frontrunner for the role of Rapunzel, while Kathryn Hahn is a fan-favourite pick to star as Mother Gothel.
'I'm not going to even… It's way too early and it's a director's medium,' Menken deflects. 'I will definitely defer to others to say, but what's great is when you go to a new medium you have a new team and all kinds of new aspects are being explored which is really exciting.'
He also confirmed reports from last year that he's working on a stage musical of Tangled, but caveats it with there are 'no firm plans except completing a version for licensing'.
Adding: 'No one should speculate on anything beyond that.'
Menken previously helped to develop a short Tangled live show for Disney Cruise Lines in 2015. This included three new songs written for the show by himself and Glenn Slater – Flower of Gold, When She Returns, and Wanted Man.
While Menken won't elaborate on what could make it to the big screen or future stage productions, he does say a cameo by original Rapunzel voice actress Moore in the new film wouldn't be out of the question, ala Jodie Benson in the Little Mermaid live action movie.
There was a lovely scene in the 2023 film that saw Benson, who voiced Ariel in the 1989 animation, hand a fork or 'Dinglehopper' over to her live action counterpart played by Halle Bailey.
Menken also cited how much he enjoyed Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel's 'lovely cameos' in last year's Wicked movie after they originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba on Broadway.
Fans will be hoping to gleam some more when Menken takes to the stage in the capital for two shows on March 9 - a matinee and an evening performance - which will delve into his storied career, spanning more than 40 years,
They promise to be an unforgetable experience with the New York-native touching on his time before and at the centre of the Disney Renaissance (Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, etc) and beyond, with his other current projects including musicals of Night At The Museum, Animal Farm and Nancy Drew. Plus, two Disney musicals make their highly-anticipated West End debut this summer with Hercules opening at Threatre Royal Drury Lane in June and two performances of a specially staged concert of Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Prince Edward Theatre on August 17.
For more information and to buy tickets to see A Whole New World of Alan Menken, visit www.aegpresents.co.uk
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