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Dwayne Johnson Announces a Live-Action 'Moana' Movie in the Works

by Alex Billington
April 3, 2023
Source: YouTube

"When I bring Maui to life, I'm doing it in the spirit of my grandfather." Here we go again… Disney has revealed a fun video announcing a live-action version of Moana, the beloved Disney animated movie from 2016. The video Dwayne Johnson revealed in message from Hawaii in a video taped on the beach. There's not much info available yet, just that it's in production and they're beginning work on it. Dwayne Johnson will return to star as the demigod Maui, but the rest of the cast and the director and everything else has not been announced yet. Actress Auli'i Cravalho, who voices Moana in the original, will be back as an executive producer, but it's not expected that she will star in the lead role. "Humbled to say we're bringing Moana's beautiful story to the live action big screen! I'm honored to partner with Disney Studios to tell our story thru the realm of music & dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people." I can't be the only one getting tired of all these live-action remakes of Disney animated classics? Do we really need to keep doing this? They have no other idea at Disney? Don't get me wrong, Moana is great, but it's fine just the way it is.

Here's the promo video from Dwayne Johnson announcing the live-action Moana movie, from YouTube:

Dwayne Johnson, who plans to return to the fictional world to set sail with Moana, said, "I'm deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live action big screen. 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."

Video posted by Johnson on his social media pages. The new feature film is produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions, and 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. Like its animated predecessor, the live-action 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. The new live-action feature is still in development, with no release date set yet - stay tuned. In the meantime, Moana is available to watch on Disney+. Anyone excited to see this happen?

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