During Walt Disney’s annual shareholder meeting in April, it was announced that Disney was developing a brand new live-action version of the classic animated film, “Moana”.

The announcement was made in a video with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who stars as the demi-god, Maui, in the classic animated film and he will be a producer on the new film, along with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions, and Beau Flynn via Flynn Picture Co. Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film, is also going to be an executive producer on the new film, though won’t be playing the role of Moana, due to her age.

Like its animated predecessor, the film 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.

Other executive producers include 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.”

THR has revealed that Thomas Kail, will be directing the new live-action film. Thomas Kail is a Tony Award-winning director, having previously worked on Broadway’s “Hamilton”, which was released on Disney+ in 2023. He has also directed “In The Heights”, which also featured Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote some of the songs for Moana. Other projects Thomas has worked on include “Grease: Live”, which earned him two Emmys for direction and producing, and he has also directed five episodes of FX’s series “Fosse/Verdon”.

The film is still in the early stages and no release window has yet been revealed.

What do you think of Disney making a live-action version of “Moana”? Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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