Catherine Laga’aia cast as Moana in live-action adaptation

Disney has cast Catherina Laga'aia as Moana in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the film. She will be playing the lead alongside Dwayne Johnson, who will reprise his role as Maui. The news regarding the live-action adaptation was made last April, along with the news that Johnson would return to produce and star.

Apart from Laga'aia and Johnson, John Tui as Moana’s father, Chief Tui; Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother, Sina; and Rena Owen as the revered Gramma Tala have also been added to the cast.

Earlier, it was reported that Moana would go on floors in October. However, now, the film is gearing up to begin production in Summer in Hawaii and Georgia. Thomas Kail, known for We Were The Lucky Ones, is all set to helm the live-action adaptation of Moana, from a screenplay penned by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller. While Bush previously wrote the screenplay for 2016's Moana, Miller is known for creating Thai Cave Rescue on Netflix.

Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo. are producing along with Johnson. Miranda has also written all the original songs for the film. Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film, are the executive producers.

With Moana 2, the animated sequel to 2016's Moana, slated to hit theatres on November 27, the live-action adaptation is scheduled for July 10, 2026.