Catherine Laga’aia Star as the Lead in Disney’s Live-Action Moana
Disney finally found the titular character for their live-action Moana. The announcement was made on June 12 that Catherine Laga’aia would take the lead, opposite Dwayne Johnson, who is returning as Maui.
Laga’aia expressed her excitement for her casting announcement by stating, “I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites,” and continued, “My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa.”
She also added, “I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.”
Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated film, will return for the live adaptation as an executive producer. She said to Variety, “It feels like the Moana universe is expanding, and I love that,” and she also added, “It feels really good that more and more generations are going to be able to relate to this character.”
Johnson announced the movie’s development and his return in April. He said in a video, “I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen.”
The other cast members who joined the film are John Tui (a New Zealander) as Moana’s father, Chief Tui; Frankie Adams (a Samoan-New Zealand actress) as Moana’s mother, Sina; and Rena Owen (hails from the Bay of Islands, New Zealand) as Gramma Tala.
The live-action movie will be directed by Thomas Kail, who is famous for directing the Broadway productions Hamilton and Disney+, Grease Live, and the television series Fosse/Verdon.
Kail showed his enthusiasm for his new project by saying, “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.”
Jared Bush, who is the screenplay writer for 2016’s Moana, and Dana Ledoux, who created Thai Cave Rescue, will write the screenplay. Johnson, Hiram Garcia, and Dany Garcia will produce the film through Seven Bucks Productions, and Beu Flynn via FlynnPictureCo. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter of Moana, will also produce the film.
Catherine Laga’aia, the 17-year-old actress, is from Sydney, Australia. She previously appeared in the three episodes of the Amazon Prime television series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart as Young Candy.
The live-action Moana is set to start production this summer and is scheduled to release on July 10, 2026.