Dwayne Johnson and Bob Iger reveal live-action development of Moana.

A live action remake of Disney Animation’s 2016 hit Moiana is in early development at Disney, Dwayne Johnson announced Monday. The announcement came in a pre-recorded message from Hawaii as part of Disney’s recent earnings call with CEO Bob Iger.

After voicing the demigod Maui in the original film, Johnson will produce the live-action remake alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia through their Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn through Flynn Picture Co. Executive producers go original Moiana voice actor Auli’i Cravalho and Scott Sheldon of Flynn Picture Co. The original film’s screenwriter, Jared Bush, is also known for his work on the hit Disney films Encanto And Zootopia — and Samoan industrial pro Dana Ledoux Miller will also join the production, though it’s not yet clear in what capacity.

Sean Bailey, president of motion picture production at Walt Disney Studios, made the comments during the studio’s presentation Moiana joins a list of live-action films based on popular Disney animated titles, including the upcoming one Little Mermaidwhich opens on May 26, as well as previous efforts such as that of 2019 Aladdin and that from 2017 Love and the Beast. “It’s still early,” he said,
“But the idea of ​​working with these amazing partners to tell such a meaningful story on a live-action canvas, especially as we celebrate 100 years of storytelling at Disney, is exciting.”

With worldwide sales of nearly $644 million and two Oscar nominations and numerous other awards upon its November 2016 release. Moiana watched as a young Pacific Islander of the same name leads Maui out to sea to set things right after Maui accidentally unleashes an ancient curse. Like its animated predecessor, the live action takes celebrates the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to forge her own path.

Johnson, who plans to return to the fictional world to set sail with Moana, said: “I am deeply humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude to bring Moana’s beautiful story to the big screen. This story is my culture, and this story symbolizes the grace and warrior power of our people. I wear that culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this unique opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, Chief Peter Maivia, is very deep for me.

Johnson continued, “I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special effort, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through music and dance. , it is the core of who we are as Polynesians.”

In a statement of his own, Cravalho noted that the character of Moiana “has had such a profound impact on how we think about Disney princesses. Moiana’s strength and endurance is inspiring – to audiences around the world, to me and to everyone who helped bring her to life. I look forward to sharing her story in a whole new way.”

Check out Johnson’s footage Moiana announcement above.