It’s about time, fellas, as Disney’s live-action Moana movie finally has a scheduled period for production, which has been revealed by none other than the demigod himself, Maui! Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who stars as the shapeshifting deity in all Moana productions, took to Instagram over the weekend with the exciting news while also announcing the lead cast members for the upcoming movie. As we all know, the Moana remake will be released two years from now, since production was delayed for over a year, and it will arrive a year and a half following the release of the highly anticipated Moana 2.
Johnson, who is reprising his role as Maui as well as serving as one of the film’s producers in the live-action Moana, confirmed that production will begin in its entirety this summer. “Exciting and inspiring casting news as we begin to bring together our Live Action Moana family,” he wrote, before sharing and tagging the previously announced cast members. “It’s our deepest honor to share the legends, songs, dances and traditions of our Polynesian culture with all of you and your families around the world. Production begins this August.”
As one of the most popular and successful animated films by Disney, Moana-related updates never cease to get fans in a frenzy and the upcoming remake is not an exception. The project is being directed by Hamilton’s Thomas Kail while Jared Bush, who was the original Moana scribe, wrote the new screenplay alongside Dana Ledoux Miller. Furthermore, other producers handling the project besides Johnson include Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Beau Flynn, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Although Miranda didn’t return to pen the music for Moana 2, he will be back with new music for the live-action movie.
Who Will Lead The Live-Action ‘Moana?’
As was recently announced by Disney, the four lead cast for the live-action Moana include Johnson, 17-year-old Sydney, Australia native Catherine Laga’aia, who will play the titular Moana, John Tui as Chief Tui, Moana’s father and the leader of Motunui, Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother, Sina, and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala. Laga’aia is taking over from Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the character in the original Moana movie and its upcoming direct sequel.
Being tapped to star as Moana is clearly a dream come true for Laga’aia, who gushed about the feat not long ago. “I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites. My grandfather comes from Fa’aala, Palauli, in Savai’i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.”
While fans count down till July 2026 for the release of the live-action Moana, the original movie is currently available to stream on Disney Plus. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates about the remake.