After an exhaustive search, Disney has finally found its Flynn Rider for the upcoming “Tangled” live-action film, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed. It turned out that the casting department didn’t have to look that far from home, as Disney star Milo Manheim has won the role. The part of Rapunzel has gone to “White Lotus” star Teagan Croft.
The “Dancing With the Stars” alum, who finished in second place alongside Witney Carson in Season 27, is the son of actress Camryn Manheim. But to many of his fans, he’s simply Zed, the star of Disney’s “Zombies” franchise.
Milo Manheim Lands Part After Fierce Competition
In December 2025, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Manheim had tested for the coveted role and was up against at least two other actors. One was Charlie Gillespie, who’s best known for playing Luke Patterson in “Julie and the Phantoms” and Jackson in “Splitsville.” Scottish actor Gilli Jones, who made his theatrical debut in “Brigadoon” in 2025, also tested for the part. Corey Mylchreest, star of the “Bridgerton” spin-off “Queen Charlotte,” also said that he auditioned.
“No, it wasn’t very good,” Mylchreest told Sofie Carson during an interview with “Seventeen.” “They then told me that they wanted someone with singing experience.”
Manheim posted the news on Instagram and received a flood of congratulations from friends and fans.
“WHAT!!!!!” Carson wrote. “This is so wild and so cool. Congrats Milo!!!!”
“Congratulations!!!! I’m so excited for you!!!!!❤️,” fellow “Zombies” star Freya Skye commented.
“Ooooh yeah,” wrote “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32 winner, Xochitl Gomez. “I’m sat! Congrats Milo 👏👏👏”
Milo Manheim’s Journey from Stage to ‘Zombie’ Stardom and DWTS Drama
Manheim began his acting career as a child, and told “Disney Channel Music” that over a three-year period, he was in “over 20 different plays.” While he appeared in a small role in an episode of “Ghost Whisperer” when he was 8, “Zombies” was his first major screen production.
“Once I read the part, I knew it was perfect for me,” Manheim recalled. “I was committed. I auditioned so many times, sent in so many videos, and auditioned so many separate times in person.”
That same year, he was asked to be a celeb contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” dancing with Carson. The couple placed second, with Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess taking first. Many, including Manheim, felt the results were unfair. But that doesn’t mean he’s holding onto any anger.
“To be honest, I feel like getting second place worked out in my favor, because I’m reminded to this day, that I was robbed,” he said on the “Zach Sang Show” podcast in 2025.
