Dwayne Johnson teams up with Disney to announce a live-action remake of Moana

Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson has announced the live-action remake of his popular Disney film Moana.

Johnson, who voiced the character Maui, the demigod of wind and sea, in the 2016 animated feature, shared the news on Twitter.

“Humbly to say that we are bringing the beautiful story of Moana to the big screen live! Maui changed my life (I miss you Grandpa) and I am honored to partner with Disney to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which is central to who we are as Polynesian people,” the 50-year-old actor tweeted.

Set in ancient Polynesia, the film follows the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a coastal village chief, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.

When a plague strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in hopes of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her people.

Actor Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original animated film, will serve as executive producer along with Flynn Picture Co’s Scott Sheldon, entertainment newspaper Variety reported.

John Musker and Ron Clements directed the original film, from a story by themselves, Chris Williams, Don Hall, Pamela Ribon, Aaron Kandell and Jordan Kandell. Bush was the only credited screenwriter.

The live-action film is produced by Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia – the same team behind his DC Comics Black Adam venture. The original Moana collected $690.8 million (approx. Rs. 5,677 crore) at the worldwide box office against an estimated budget of $150 million (approx. Rs. 1,233 crore).

In February, Disney announced animated sequels for Toy Story, Frozen, and Zootopia, which are currently in the early stages of development. Much like the aforementioned Moana, none of them have a confirmed release window at this time.

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