Live-Action Moana Announced Starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

Disney and Dwayne Johnson have announced that a live action reimagining of Moana is in development.

During today's Disney annual shareholders meeting, Johnson appeared to reveal the project. Little was revealed about the new movie, but Johnson said Moana, Gramma Tala, Te Fiti, Heihei, and of course, Maui, will appear. Johnson — who voiced Maui in the original animated Moana — will bring the character to life in the live action version.

In the announcement video, Johnson once again credited the inspiration for Maui to his grandfather, former WWE star Peter Maivia.

"This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength," Johnson said in a press release. "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."

The movie will be produced by Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and and Beau Flynn. Auli‘i Cravalho — who voiced Moana in the 2016 original — will seve as an executive producer. There's no word yet as to who will direct the film.

Moana is the story of a young girl chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti. Along the way, Moana meets the exiled demigod Maui, who helps to guide her in her quest.

The live-action version of Moana joins a growing slate of Disney live-action remakes, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, the upcoming The Little Mermaid, and more.

We were big fans of the original Moana in our review, saying, "The film delivers the strong humor, well executed action, memorable music and lovable characters Disney has perfected in a delightful and lovely manner."

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.