Zachary Levi has become a divisive figure lately, with his reaction to Shazam! Fury of the Gods' failure, questionable social media activity, and comments about the SAG-AFTRA strike painting the actor in a negative light.
Could reprising one of his most beloved roles turn things around? Levi did a fantastic job voicing the charismatic Flynn Rider in Disney Animation's Tangled and work on a live-action adaptation appears to be well underway. Recently, we learned that Black Widow star Florence Pugh is a potential frontrunner to play Rapunzel.
Talking at Fan Expo in Chicago (via Toonado.com), Levi acknowledged the rumour and threw his hat into the ring to play Flynn.
"There was this thing floating around the internet, I just saw it, somebody sent it to me, that Florence Pugh potentially might play the role of Rapunzel," he says in the video below. "And If Florence plays Rapunzel, what about me?"
"Which would also be a trip because my real last name is Pugh; P-U-G-H, Zachary Levi Pugh, so you'd have [makes pew-pew noise] in Tangled. Come on!"
While these comments were largely made in jest, we're still not convinced this would be the right move.
A few years ago, Levi playing Flynn might have worked, but it's rare for actors who voiced characters in animation to make the leap to live-action in Disney's adaptations of its classic catalogue. Plus, if the studio really is eyeing Pugh, it's doubtful they'll cast an actor 15 years her senior to play Rapunzel's love interest.
Released in 2010, the original animated adventure's popularity has only grown in the years since, with Rapunzel now one of Disney's most beloved and iconic Princesses.
Tangled grossed just shy of $600 million at the worldwide box office upon release and also starred Mandy Moore and Donna Murphy. The movie is now streaming on Disney+.