Caitríona Balfe joins Disney’s live-action 'Tangled' as Queen Arianna

Caitríona Balfe has joined Disney’s live-action Tangled as Queen Arianna, Rapunzel’s long-lost mother, as the studio expands the cast of its upcoming adaptation.

The Outlander star, who is a five-time Golden Globe nominee, was announced for the role alongside Elliot Cowan, who will play King Frederic, and Patrick and Hugo McPherson, who will portray the Stabbington twins.

Balfe was not featured in the footage Disney presented at D23 on Friday, but the studio confirmed her casting as part of its latest announcements surrounding the film.

The new cast members join Teagan Croft as Rapunzel, Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. Diego Luna, known for Andor, will also appear as a new character named Hawthorne.

Michael Gracey is directing the live-action Tangled from a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and Michael Montemayor. Disney announced that the film will be released in cinemas on March 31, 2028.

The original Tangled, released in 2010, follows Rapunzel, a young woman with magical long hair who has spent her life confined to a tower.

Her world changes when Flynn Rider, a runaway thief, arrives at the tower and becomes involved in her journey to discover the world beyond it and learn more about her identity.