Moana fans will soon be able to enjoy the adventuring musical in a whole new way.
Disney may just be visiting its aquatic world with a sequel this year (read more about the strong first reactions from critics), but plans are already in motion for Maui and Moana's next appearance - a live-action adaptation.
5 Confirmed Details About Disney's Live-Action Moana
Moana's Live-Action Movie Won't Release Until 2026
Production on the live-action Moana adaptation began in August and wrapped in November (via Fandango), but it will not be coming to theaters anytime soon.
Disney confirmed Moana will release in theaters on July 10, 2026, giving the studio over a year and a half to complete its post-production.
Due to Moana's visceral underwater worlds, crazy CGI creatures, and large-scale story, it is not shocking it will take a while to complete all the visual effects.
Auli'i Cravalho Will Not Be Back as Moana
While Dwayne Johnson will bring Maui to live-action after voicing the demigod in both animated movies, Auli'i Cravalho will be recast as the leading Moana.
The decision likely came due to the age of the Hawaiian actress, as she is now 24 years old while the character is only 16 in the first movie.
Moana will be played by newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia, who stated in a press release that she is "honored" to "represent young girls who look like [her]:"
"I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites. My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me."
The full cast of the live-action Moana can be seen below:
- Catherine Lagaʻaia - Moana
- Dwayne Johnson - Maui
- John Tui - Chief Tui
- Frankie Adams - Sina
- Rena Owen - Gramma Tala
The Rock Will Wear a Bodysuit for Maui
Speaking with extratv, Dwayne Johnson discussed the experience of bringing Maui to live-action, while the interviewer pointed out how the actor appears to be buffer than ever in leaked set photos from his latest Disney outing.
The Rock called the experience "eye-opening," discussing how playing Maui in live-action versus animation felt "different" and became "real all of a sudden:"
"It was so eye-opening. I felt like I had a handle on who Maui is - I know the voice, the man, his inspiration, I can access things, I got it. The moment I stepped on set as live-action Maui, I realized right away, 'Oh wow, this is different in terms of [being] real flesh, blood, skin, and bones,' and it becomes real all of a sudden."
Referring to his enhanced Maui physique, Johnson revealed that look was created with "a suit that took a long time to put on:"
"But I want to say something about the body. Thank you for saying that. So, that's a suit that took a long time to put on and that transformation... So, I'm so happy that you said, 'You bulked up,' because when you say, 'You bulked up,' that means you couldn't tell."
He added how the bodysuit was created by Academy Award-winner Joel Harlow, noting how transforming into Maui took "a couple of hours every day:"
"That was Joel Harlow who's an Academy Award-winning makeup artist and designer, and that is a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that on. You know we shot outside, and when those pictures surfaced I was like, 'S***, we got caught.' We were putting up walls, so there was no paparazzi, but they got in the boats."
The Live-Action Moana Is in Safe Hands
Behind the scenes, the live-action Moana has been left in safe hands, as the script is co-written by Jared Bush, who penned the original movie. He is joined by Dana Ledoux Miller, who recently helped write and direct Moana 2.
The adaptation is directed by Thomas Kail, who has a history in musical theater, having helmed Broadway productions of Hamilton and In The Heights. The former also earned him the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2016.
During an interview with CinemaBlend, Dana Ledoux Miller explained how he "started on the live-action first" before joining Moana 2, praising his relationship with Jared Bush as "so meaningful:"
"I started on the live action first before I came over to the animated side. I co-wrote the live-action with Jared Bush, who I also co-wrote this feature [with]. And so I think that collaborative relationship between us has become so meaningful."
He continued to explain how he became "immersed in Moana's first story" and how that made it feel "natural to expand" into the sequel:
"But, we loved being immersed in Moana's first story because we felt so passionately that Moana 2 should be about building on the first film, not trying to replace anything that happened before that. So we were living in that first film every day, writing that live-action script. So I felt like I knew exactly who Moana was in that first film, and it really helped us build on that. It was like sense memory, you know? We were so in Moana's world that it only felt natural to expand."
Moana hits theaters on July 10, 2026.
