Dwayne Johnson has officially revealed when the live-action remake of Disney’s Moana, which will feature him once again reprising the role of Maui, will enter production. This mighty demigod will once again help the titular protagonist on her journey from her home island of Motunui to restore the heart of Te Fiti, with Johnson announcing on Instagram that the film will begin production in August. The note about when production begins is at the end of a more extensive post concerning casting for the film, as the core family members have now all been cast in addition to Johnson’s role as the stubborn songsmith of a deity.
Catherine Laga’aia will play Moana, succeeding Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the character in the successful 2016 animated feature. John Tui plays Chief Tui, Moana’s father and head of Motunui. Frankie Adams is playing Moana’s mother, Sina, while Rena Owen will round out the cast as she takes on the sweet and supportive Gramma Tala role. You can check out what Johnson had to say about the casting and producton below:
Moana Is the Latest in the Series of Live-Action Disney Remakes
For the last decade, Disney has focused on remaking some of its classic animated films in live-action. The Jungle Book, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and The Lion King are all examples of movies recreated into live-action films. As recently as February 2024, Lion King’s 2019 remake has been considered the most successful live-action adaptation thus far. The remake, which stars Donald Glover as Simba and Beyoncé as Nala, grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, with $544 million of that revenue generated from the United States and Canada alone. The original Moana movie, meanwhile, generated $687 million at the global box office, with Disney no doubt hopeful that the remake will emulate such success.
Moana’s remake will be released in July 2026, nearly ten years after its first animated film was initially released. However, it is far from the only upcoming live-action remake of an established Disney animated classic. In December 2024, there will be another Lion King remake with Mufasa. Snow White, one of the first Walt Disney animated films, will be remade and released in theaters on Mar. 21, 2025. There are also planned remakes of Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Bambi, and The Aristocats.
Moana is also getting an animated sequel with Moana 2. That film will also feature Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui. Still, for the animated sequel, Auliʻi Cravalho will reprise her role as the titular Moana in her next adventure. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear will step in for Lin-Manuel Miranda as songwriters. Miranda will continue to work on the live-action adaptation of Moana, however. The sequel’s development began in 2020 as a Disney+ original television series, but it was then reworked into a theatrical sequel, with David Derrick Jr. making his feature directorial debut. Moana 2 is due to be released in theaters on November 27 of this year.