View the Hawaii set photos for Dwayne Johnson’s live-action Moana in beefy maui costume
While the animation “Moana 2” is now showing in theaters as of November 27, the live-action “Moana” is scheduled to debut in July 2026.
Maui is being brought to the real world by Dwayne Johnson.
On Wednesday, Nov. 20, the 52-year-old actor made his first appearance in costume on the set of the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Moana in Hawaii.
As he filmed sequences along a beach, Johnson wore a grass skirt, a long black wig, and his demigod character Maui’s tattoos. Set photographs show a boat utilized for filming.
At the company’s shareholder meeting in April 2023, Disney and Johnson initially revealed that a live-action remake of 2016’s Moana would be produced.
Auli’i Cravalho, who provides the voice of the animated film’s title character, is an executive producer on the new film. Johnson and newcomer Catherine Laga’aia were chosen to co-star in the live-action adaptation.
“Moana is one of my favorites, so I’m really excited to embrace this character,” Laga’aia said in a statement when she was cast in June. “My grandfather is from Savai‘i’s Fa‘aala, Palauli. Additionally, my grandma is from Leulumoega Tuai, which is located on Samoa’s major island of ‘Upolu.”
“I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me,” she said.
