Dwayne Johnson Confirms New MOANA Live-Action Actress Cast, Lin-Manuel Miranda to Return

Dwayne Johnson has confirmed that the live-action Moana has found its star, though a name has yet to be released.

"One of the exciting things about that was actually finding our Moana and how exciting that has been. The global search to find our Moana -- which -- between you and I, we found her -- not gonna tell you yet. [It's] very exciting," Johnson told Entertainment Tonight.

Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original film, will not be returning to the role for the live-action version, though she is still involved as a producer. Dwayne Johnson, also a producer, will return to play the role of Maui.

Johnson also confirmed that while Lin-Manuel Miranda is not writing the music for the upcoming animated sequel Moana 2, he is involved in the live-action remake.

"Lin Manuel Miranda's coming back. We're doing the music. Tommy Kail is our director, who directed Hamilton. You put everybody together and you want to put the best team together and then you really go for it," says Johnson

Tony winner Thomas Kail will direct the upcoming feature, reuniting him with his Hamilton collaborator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The original film's writer Jared Bush will return to write the screenplay for the remake with Dana Ledoux Miller.

Like its animated predecessor, the film will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path. Moana's journey of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her ancestors won hearts worldwide, as did her newfound friendship with an exiled demigod named Maui.

The live-action remake of Disney's Moana will be released on June 27, 2025, and it was just announced that the original film's animated sequel, Moana 2, will have a November 27, 2024 release date.

Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Moana" debuted in theaters on Nov. 23, 2016, grossing nearly $644 million in global box office. The title, which debuted on Disney+ with the streamer's 2019 launch, is among the top 15 movies streamed in the United States in 2022.

The film's soundtrack, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina, was lauded worldwide. Miranda won a GRAMMY for best song written for visual media ("How Far I'll Go"), and an Oscar® nomination for best achievement in music written for motion pictures - original song ("How Far I'll Go").

In 2021, the "Moana" soundtrack broke a Billboard Soundtrack chart record for the amount of time spent at number one (52 weeks). Additionally, the film was nominated for an Academy Award (best animated feature film of the year), a BAFTA (best animated feature film) and a pair of Golden Globes® (best motion picture - animated and best original song ("How Far I'll Go").