Dwayne Johnson Announces Live-Action ‘Moana’ Remake 2023
Today, Dwayne Johnson disclosed in a recorded message from Hawaii that a live-action remake of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2016 blockbuster Moana is in the works. Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger made the announcement during The Walt Disney Company’s Meeting of Shareholders webcast.
Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia’s Seven Dollars Productions and Beau Flynn’s Flynn Picture Co. produce the new film. Moana’s voice actress, Auli’i Cravalho, and Flynn Picture Co.’s Scott Sheldon serve as executive producers. In addition to Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller (who is of Samoan descent), Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller will also participate in the production.
Bush, who directed Encanto and Zootopia, authored Moana’s screenplay (2016).
The live-action reimagining of Moana will celebrate the islands, communities, and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to forge her own path, much like its animated predecessor, which grossed nearly $644 million worldwide and was among the Top 15 movies streamed in the United States in 2022. Moana’s voyage of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her progenitors, as well as her newfound companionship with an exiled demigod named Maui, gained the affections of people everywhere.
“I’m profoundly humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude to bring the beautiful narrative of Moana to the big screen in live-action,” said Johnson, who intends to return to the fictional world to sail with Moana. “This narrative is my culture, and it exemplifies the grace and martial spirit of our people. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, which was inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is deeply meaningful to me. There is no greater way to venerate the story of our people, our passion, and our purpose as Polynesians than through the realm of music and dance.”
“She changed how we view Disney heroes,” Cravalho said.
Moana’s influence is vast, according to Cravalho, a Native Hawaiian actor who helped mold the protagonist in the original film. “She has had such a profound impact on how we perceive Disney heroines,” explained Cravalho. “The courage and tenacity of Moana are an inspiration to audiences around the world, to me, and to everyone who helped bring her to life. I’m excited to share her tale in an entirely new manner.”
The film will join Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and the highly anticipated The Little Mermaid, which opens in theaters on May 26. “It’s still early,” Bailey said, “but the prospect of collaborating with these incredible collaborators to tell such a meaningful story on a live-action canvas is exhilarating, especially as Disney celebrates 100 years of storytelling.”
