Development On April 3, 2023, it was announced on
Dwayne Johnson's official
YouTube channel that a live-action remake of
Moana (2016) was in development at
Walt Disney Pictures, with Johnson producing alongside his ex-wife
Dany Garcia along with her brother, Johnson's ex-brother-in-law Hiram Garcia, for
Seven Bucks Productions, and
Beau Flynn for Flynn Picture Co., and the animated film's lead star
Auliʻi Cravalho serving as executive producer. Johnson remarked "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. [...] [T]here 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."
Sean Bailey, Disney Live Action's president of production at the time, acknowledged that, although only seven years had passed since the animated film was released, the celebration of Disney's 100th anniversary contributed to the decision to remake the film so soon. On May 31, 2023,
Thomas Kail was announced as the director, making his narrative feature
directorial debut after helming the
live film recording of the Broadway production of
Hamilton (2020). Casting was expected to begin later in the year, but was suspended until November 8, 2023, due to the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. In February 2024, Johnson stated that an actress had been cast in the titular role, but that the actress would be kept under wraps for the time being. In June, Catherine Laga'aia was revealed to be the actress cast in the titular role, alongside
John Tui,
Frankie Adams, and
Rena Owen joining the cast, with
Jared Bush and
Moana 2 co-director Dana Ledoux Miller writing the screenplay. This marked the third collaboration between Johnson and Tui, after
Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and
Young Rock (2021–2023). In August 2025, it was announced that
Alan Tudyk would not reprise his role as Heihei from the animated films. An undisclosed actress was then confirmed to do the voice role for Heihei instead.
Filming Principal photography began in
Atlanta,
Georgia on July 29, 2024, under the
working title Canon, and
wrapped in
Hawaii on November 22. It was previously scheduled to begin filming in June 2024 under the working title
Motorheads, after being delayed from an October 2023 start date due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Óscar Faura serves as cinematographer.
Bill Westenhofer serves as the visual effects supervisor, having left the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) to do so. In August 2025, it was revealed that the studio wanted to use an
AI-generated deepfake of Johnson's face composited onto a
body double for select shots with the actor's approval and the help of AI company Metaphysic, but later abandoned the idea to avoid potential controversy in the midst of societal and governmental issues surrounding the
regulation of AI in the filmmaking process and everyday life.
Post-production Melanie Oliver edited the film. ==Music==