The 46-year-old actor has starred in numerous Star Wars projects for Disney+ and Lucasfilm, including the lead role of Cassian Andor in the Andor series, and he is now expanding on his relationship with Disney by landing a role in their upcoming live-action tale.
Diego’s role in Tangled – which is based on their 2010 animated movie of the same name, an adaptation of the classic fairytale Rapunzel – has yet to be disclosed as the project is surrounded by secrecy.
It was previously revealed rising Australian actress Teagan Croft will star as Rapunzel and Milo Manheim – known for his role in the Disney Channel’s musical Zombies series – will play her rescuer, suave outlaw Flynn Rider.
And Kathryn Hahn is said to be in talks to play Mother Gothel, the manipulative mother of Rapunzel who keeps the princess locked away in a tower so that her magical hair can continue to grant her eternal youth.
Before Hahn, Scarlett Johansson was said to be attached to the role in October 2025, though had to exit negotiations due to possible scheduling conflicts with The Batman: Part II, as well as with director Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist reboot.
Following the news of Johansson’s involvement in Tangled, Disney fans began to lobby online for Hahn to be cast as Mother Gothel in the film.
Michael Gracey – who helmed Better Man and The Greatest Showman – is due to direct the new Tangled movie, which is said to include lots of “big musical elements” like the original.
Meanwhile, Freakier Friday’s Kristin Burr is due to produce the film, while I Know What You Did Last Summer’s Jennifer Kaytin Robinson writes the script.
Diego – who has Jeronimo, 17, and 15-year-old Fiona with ex-wife Camila Sodi – is best known for his Star Wars role, and previously admitted getting to play Andor in the TV series had been a “dream come true”.
He told SFX magazine: “I’m happy to go back to a galaxy far, far away. It’s a dream come true.
“I’ll tell you how it felt. I was the coolest dad when I told my kids I was doing that film.
“When my son, that’s the one that connects the most with this universe, was watching the film he went, ‘My dad is the best!’
“Then we die at the end. My son just looked at me… ‘But you died.’
“So it’s like, ‘Well, you’re cool but not that cool!’ And now I can tell him I can be back on his top 10 list of coolness.”
When shooting Rogue One, Diego was often hoping something would go wrong and a scene would need another take because he had so much fun piloting the spaceships.
He said: “On the movie, I had a session with a real pilot and I got a lot of information from him.
“The only thing I can tell you is, there is no other feeling like going into hyperspace. When you go, ‘Whoosh!’ and that thing goes crazy, it feels amazing.
“Every take I was like, ‘Oh please, I hope someone did something wrong, I want to go again.’ I mean, it was the nicest thing.
“The cockpit has this system underneath that makes it move. And then in front of you, you have this huge projection that shows you what you are going to be flying through.
“So it’s as close to flying as could be and quite an experience.”
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