Moana Live-Action Remake in the Works from Disney, Dwayne Johnson – The Hollywood Reporter

Disney sails with Moana Again, this time in vibrant live action. The studio has teamed up with Dwayne Johnson to develop a live-action remake of the 2016 animated musical sensation.

Johnson plans to return to the role of Maui, the mighty god of the wind and sea. By producing it, he will produce Seven Bucks. Jared Bush, who wrote the screenplay for the original film, is back to write the remake. No directors were involved at this stage of development.

Disney CEO Bob Iger and Johnson shared the news during Disney’s annual shareholder meeting on Monday.

“This story is my culture,” Johnson said, “and this story is a symbol of the grace of our people and the strength of a warrior.” “I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, Supreme Commander Peter Maivia, is one of the deepest for me.”

Moana The film was inspired by Polynesian mythology as it told the story of a young woman who disobeyed her father, an island chief dealing with impending ecological disaster, and set out on a quest to collect a mystical relic with its owner, a goddess named Te Fiti. Along the way, she releases Maui from his island prison, is captured by a monstrous crab, and finds the strength to become the boss her father believes she can be.

Auli’i Cravalho, who originally voiced Moana, will produce with Scott Sheldon of Flynn Picture Co.

John Musker and Ron Clements directed the original film which had a story by Clements, Musker, Chris Williams, Don Hall, Pamela Rippon, Aaron Kandel and Jordan Kandel. Bush was the sole screenwriter.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has had a huge hand in the songwriting, working with Opitia Foye and Marc Mancina. Johnson had one catchy tune, the Miranda catchy “You’re Welcome.” Another song, “How Far Will I Go”, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The film was a hit with audiences and critics, grossing over $665 million worldwide and earning an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, losing out to fellow Disney film, Zootopia.

Disney devised a strategy to remake animated classics into live-action features. It’s a strategy that has paid huge dividends, with some movies, such as beauty and the beast And Aladdinto become a billion dollars, and some earn praise for creativity, such as Cruella. But it also resulted in a blip, with some titles being dumped on the streaming service, Disney+.

To date, it has not re-released any of the 21 titles^street century, preferring to stay away from animated and classic versions. But it appears the studio’s strategy is now on its last legs and it may not be long before films like frozen or tangled Then they are targeted.

actually Lilo and Stitch The film is in pre-production for a summer shoot. Fan response has been one reason for the distance, but Disney is betting that half a dozen years isn’t short in a nostalgia-fueled culture that zips through the idea faster than a girl on Kamacao running away from coconut pirates.

Disney’s strategy is now also inspiring some other studios with anime libraries to look through their catalogs to find titles for live-action remakes. Universal is gearing up to shoot a new movie this summer How to train your dragonIt’s a beloved movie and is now a 2010 classic.