The young woman in the image above is Catherine Laga’aia, the 17-year-old actress from Sydney Australia who has just been cast to play the live-action version of moana in the upcoming Disney movie remake.
The remake will retell the story of the popular 2016 animated film with live-action actors. While Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role as the demigod Maui, the other parts have been recast, including Moana, whose original voice was performed by Auliʻi Cravalho.
The new film is directed by Thomas Kailbest known for directing hamilton on Broadway and its subsequent film version on Disney+.
READ MORE: The ups and downs of Disney’s live-action remakes
In a statement, Kail had this to say about Laga’aia’s casting:
We were the lucky ones. I am delighted to have met Catherine, Rena. [Owen, playing Gramma Tala]frankie [Adams, Moana’s mom Sina] and Juan [Tui, who plays Moana’s father] through this casting process. I am honored by this opportunity and can’t wait to be all together on set. And there is no better couple to be in a canoe with than Catherine and Dwayne; actually a trio: Heihei is also ready.
live action moana is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 10, 2026. Please note that this is a totally different and separate project from moana 2, the upcoming sequel to the original film, which also features Johnson alongside Cravalho in a new animated adventure. That film is scheduled to be released in November of this year. That means yes, Disney has a moana sequel and a moana The remake will hit theaters less than two years apart.
He moana The new version is expected to go into production later this summer.
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