Live-Action Moana Movie With The Rock Coming in 2026
During today's shareholders meeting for the Walt Disney Company, Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger shared a video featuring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, revealing that he will be helping to spearhead a live-action reimagining of Disney Animation's 2016 hit Moana, in which he provided the voice of Maui. Johnson will also serve as a producer on the film, along with Hiram and Dany Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions Beau Flynn via Flynn Picture Co. Executive producers include Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film, and Scott Sheldon of Flynn Picture Co. Jared Bush and Samoan industry pro Dana Ledoux Miller will also take part in the production.
Bush, who was a director and co-writer of Disney's Oscar®-winning feature Encanto and a writer and co-director on Disney's Oscar-winning film Zootopia, wrote the screenplay for 2016's Moana. In a statement to the press, Disney said that like its animated predecessor, the live-action Moana "will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path. Moana's journey of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her ancestors won hearts worldwide, as did her newfound friendship with an exiled demigod named Maui."
You can see Johnson's announcement video below.
"I'm deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen," Johnson said. "This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people's grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me. I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people."
"She has had such a profound impact on how we think of Disney princesses," Native Hawaiian actor Cravalho, who helped shape Moana in the original film, said. "Moana's strength and perseverance are inspiring-to audiences around the world, to me and to everyone who helped bring her to life. I'm looking forward to sharing her story in a whole new way."
Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production (Disney Live Action), said the film would join a successful lineup of live-action adaptations that include 2017's Beauty and the Beast, 2019's Aladdin and the upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid, opening May 26.
"It's still early, but the idea of working with these fantastic partners to tell such a meaningful story on a live-action canvas, particularly as we celebrate 100 years of storytelling at Disney, is thrilling," said Bailey.