Draft:Moana (2026 film)

Moana is an upcoming American musical action-adventure fantasy film directed by Thomas Kail in his narrative feature directorial debut, written Jared Bush and by Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Dwayne Johnson, Hiram and Dany Garcia, and Beau Flynn. It is a live-action adaptation of the 2016 animated film Moana, and the third installment in the Moana franchise overall. It stars Catherine Lagaaia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui.

Moana will be released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in the United States on July 10, 2026.

Cast

 * Catherine Lagaaia as Moana
 * Dwayne Johnson as Maui
 * John Tui as Chief Tui
 * Frankie Adams as Sina
 * Rena Owen as Gramma Tala

Development
On April 3, 2023, it was announced on Dwayne Johnson's official YouTube channel that a live-action remake of Moana (2016) was in development at Walt Disney Pictures, with Johnson producing alongside Hiram and Dany Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions, and Beau Flynn for Flynn Picture Co., while the animated film's lead star Auliʻi Cravalho serves an executive producer. On May 31, 2023, Thomas Kail was announced as the director. Casting was expected to begin later in the year, but was suspended until November 8, 2023, due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. In February 2024, Johnson stated that an actress had been cast in the titular role, but that the actress would be kept under wraps for the time being. In June, Catherine Lagaaia, John Tui, Frankie Adams and Rena Owen joined the cast, with Jared Bush and by Dana Ledoux Miller writing the screenplay.

Filming
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in August 2024 in Hawaii and Atlanta. It was previously scheduled to begin filming in June 2024 under the working title Motorheads. It was originally scheduled to begin in October 2023, but was delayed to 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Óscar Faura will serve as cinematographer.

Release
Moana is scheduled to be released on July 10, 2026. It was originally scheduled for release on June 27, 2025, but following the announcement of Moana 2, it was delayed to its current date as a consequence of the eight month gap between the two films.