The 'Moana' live-action cast announced by Disney.

Disney announced the main cast of its upcoming live-action adaptation of Moana, based on the 2016 hit animated film. Catherine Laga'aia, a 17-year-old actress originally from Sydney, Australia, will bring to life the intrepid teenager who embarks on an adventure to save her people. Dwayne Johnson, who lent his voice to the demigod Maui in the animated version, reprised his role in this new adaptation, in addition to assuming responsibilities as producer. In fact, the film began production this summer and will be in theaters on July 10, 2026. In addition, Laga'aia, whose family has roots in Samoa, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, "I am excited to have the opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young women who look like me."

Along with Johnson, producers included Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo. Another key name in the production was Lin-Manuel Miranda, known for composing the original songs for the animated version of Moana; he was also part of the production of this adaptation. Indeed, the script for the new film was developed by Jared Bush, who worked on the 2016 animated film, and Dana Ledoux Miller, a Samoan screenwriter who created the Netflix series Thai Cave Rescue.

Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated version, served as executive producer and mentor to Laga'aia. "I am excited about the expansion of the Moana universe with this live-action adaptation and the upcoming Moana 2," stated Cravalho. The animated sequel Moana 2 will hit theaters on November 27 and Cravalho reprised her lead voice role. At the SAG Awards, Cravalho stressed the importance of the franchise expanding its reach to more generations as a strong and courageous heroine.