Disney is working on yet another live-action remake of a popular film, but they aren’t going as far as the Disney Renaissance this time.
The latest remake will be 2016’s Moana, with original stars Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson returning. This project joins Disney’s latest remake announcements, which include a Lilo & Stitch remake.
During Disney’s annual shareholder’s meeting, Dwayne Johnson appeared and made the announcement. The upcoming remake will continue the original themes of celebrating island culture and discovering yourself outside your family.
Johnson teased the announcement by saying, “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.”
Check out the announcement video below…
The new feature film is produced by 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.”
At the time of writing, there’s no release date for the remake.