Among all the Disney titles getting their live-action versions, there was also a place for Moana.
In recent years, the production of live-action versions of animated films starring real actors has become very popular. Less than a month ago, we finally had the premiere of The Little Mermaid, which has been garnering the most accolades to date, even despite its controversies.
Disney is setting a strong example for this type of venture. Recently, the live-action version of Lilo and Stitch was also officially announced, and even the main cast has already been announced – CLICK. Now it turns out that we will get to see a very similar title at a similar time.
Moana as live-action – all that is known
Some time ago Dwayne Johnson, a well-known American wrestler and actor, independently announced the upcoming live-action version of Moana. On April 3, 2023 to be exact, we could see his official announcement of the film on his own social media profiles. It’s worth mentioning that in the original animated version of Moana, the actor played the role of Maui, and this will also be the case in the live-action version.
The announcement:
Premiere
Dwayne Johnson announced that the film with the actors is already in the process of production. According to what the actor said, these are only the first steps. Interestingly, however, the official release date of the film has already been learned – according to sources, it is expected to be June 27, 2025, while it is worth taking into account that things could still change due to the early stage of production.
In late May, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Moana will be directed by Thomas Kail, a director best known for Broadway musicals including “In the Heights” and “Hamilton.”
Cast
The cast is not yet officially known. What is known, however, is that in addition to sitting in the director’s chair, Dwayne Johnson will also take over the role of Maui, whom he provided the voice for in the animated version of the film. Maui is the second main character right next to Moana, her friend and companion, and half god, half human.
As for Moana herself, the dubbing actress who substituted the character’s voice in the original – Auli’i Cravalho – has confirmed that she will not return to the role in the live-action version. She will, however, take on the role of executive producer, so she will oversee the project with Dwayne Johnson to some extent. The actress confirmed this on her social media in late May:
In this live-action retelling, I will not be reprising the role. I believe it is absolutely vital the cast accurately represents the characters and stories we want to tell.
So it looks like Dwayne Johnson as Maui is the only confirmed actor in the cast. The rest will still have to wait. However, looking at the fact that the original dubbing actors will be the guardians of the new version of the film, we are unlikely to have anything to fear. Besides, recent releases have proven that Disney knows what it’s doing.