Today, Walt Disney announced that upcoming actress Catherine Laga’aia has been cast as Moana in the upcoming live-action movie. She will star opposite Dwayne Johnson, who returns as the Hawaiian god Maui after voicing the character in the animated film. Laga’aia only appeared in a small role in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart in 2023 before taking over the role from Auli’i Cravalho. However, she is the daughter of Jay Laga’aia, who played Captain Typho, the personal bodyguard of Padme Amidala in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
The rest of the cast includes John Tui as Moana’s no-nonsense father, Chief Tui; Samoan-New Zealand actress Frankie Adams portrays Moana’s playful and strong-willed mother, Sina; and Rena Owen, who hails from Bay of Islands, NZ, was cast as the revered Gramma Tala. Production begins this summer in Hawaii by director Thomas Kail. He added, “I am thrilled to have met Catherine, Rena, Frankie and John through this casting process. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I cannot wait to all be on set together. And there’s no better pair to be in a canoe with than Catherine and Dwayne—actually, trio: Heihei is ready, too.”
Moana live-action movie will hit theaters on July 10, 2026
Source: The Walt Disney Company