It appears that the animated Moana sequel, which is scheduled to open in theaters on November 27, 2024, is now putting actors in the recording booth.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently shared some Instagram and X/Twitter posts of his Maui recording sessions, sharing, "So much fun becoming MAUI again - a character that changed my life in many ways - including the character of MAUI being inspired by my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia."
"The Polynesian cultural significance of the role and our story has touched families around the world and has easily become one of my truest honors to bring to life and share. Excited for you and your families around the world to join us on this journey."
Apart from Johnson, Auliʻi Cravalho will be reprising her role as the voice of Moana, the movie's protagonist.
David G. Derrick Jr., the storyboard artist for The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Raya and the Last Dragon, is directing and writing the screenplay for his feature film debut.
Instead of at its Burbank location, Walt Disney Animation Studios used its Vancouver facility for animation.
In other Moana news, The Rock is attached to portray Maui in a live-action movie that is now in development. Auliʻi Cravalho's age will prevent her from portraying Moana in the live-action adaptation, but supporters are pushing for her to be Te Fiti, the goddess.
Johnson recently teased that they've found an actress to play Moana in the live-action remake and that the studio is just waiting for the proper time to make the announcement.
In regards to the global casting search, Johnson teased, "One of the exciting things about that was actually finding our Moana and how exciting that has been. The global search to find our Moana -- which -- between you and I, we found her -- not gonna tell you yet. [It's] very exciting."
Released in 2016, Moana went on to gross $682 million worldwide from a production budget of $150 million. It's also one of the most popular streaming titles on Disney+.
The live-action Moana movie was originally slated for release on June 27, 2025 but was pushed back to July 10, 2026, due to the release of Moana 2.