Bianca Wooden
Parents, prepare yourselves! It looks like Disney’s animated musical Moana is due to get a live-action remake.
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Dwayne Johnson, who provided the voice for Maui in the 2016 production, announced the upcoming project with the help of his two daughters in a cute video.
Reporting from the island of O’ahu, the Baywatch actor confirmed that the well-loved tale inspired by the Pacific Islands would be returning to the screen.
“We are so excited and happy to announce that a live-action re-imagining of Moana is in the works,” he said.
Johnson also stated that he would be reprising his role as Maui, the legendary demi-god who accompanies Moana on her adventure.
Dwayne Johnson Will Return as Maui in Moana Remake
Apparently, Dwayne Johnson will be doing more than acting in the upcoming film. The Red Notice star is also set to produce alongside Dany and Hiram Garcia. While no director has been announced, the film’s original screenwriter, Jared Bush, is expected to return for the remake.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dwayne Johnson joined Disney CEO Bob Iger to reveal the big news during this year’s annual shareholder’s meeting.
“This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength,” said the actor. He also said that the character of Maui was inspired by his late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.
Since Disney’s live-action remake of Cinderella in 2015, we’ve been seeing more and more new takes on previous films from the company, including Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and The Little Mermaid (2023). However, the new Moana will be an outlier as a remake of both a more recent release and a computer-animated film (as opposed to traditionally animated classics).
Screenrant tells us that the original Moana is one of Disney’s top-grossing animated films. Let’s hope the remake lives up to its predecessor!
