July 07, 2024
Dwayne Johnson has announced that Disney’s Moana live-action movie is officially in the works.
The 52-year-old actor, who will be reprising the role of the demigod Maui in animated film Moana 2, took to Instagram and revealed "Production begins this August".
According to the Red Notice actor, the live-action film will hit theaters on ‘June 27, 2025’. This appears to be a new release date as Disney originally slated it for July 10, 2026.
His post also included the announcement of newcomer Catherine Laga'aia, who will play the role of Moana, and John Tui, who appeared in Johnson's NBC series Young Rock, as Moana's father, Chief Tui.
Frankie Adams is set to play Moana's mother, Sina, and Rena Owen will portray her grandmother, Gramma Tala. Directed by Thomas Kail, the live-action film’s music has been composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s Moana 2 is an animated musical fantasy adventure film which is a sequel to 2016's Moana. The film apart from Johnson, also stars Auliʻi Cravalho, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk.
Moana 2 is scheduled to be released on November 27, 2024. On the work front, the Black Adam star will soon be seen in Red One, an upcoming action comedy, which will also star Chris Evans.