Dwayne Johnson is the only actor at the moment set to seem the reside-action Moana remake, and there are a handful of causes why no a single else from the original movie’s cast is returning. Johnson played Maui, the shape shifter and demigod of the wind and sea, in the original Moana in 2016. He was a fan-favourite each for Maui as a character and for the song “You’re Welcome,” which garnered more than 1.6 billion views on YouTube. Johnson’s part in Moana was hugely well-known, which produced him an apparent selection to reprise his part for the reside-action remake.

Maui’s recognition does not clarify why other voice actors did not make it into the cast of the Moana remake, even though. Disney’s reside-action remakes generally recast characters, but that is typically due to the time involving the original and the remake, and to locate actors who improved represent their characters. Moana does not have these exact same complications, even though. Most of its original cast was currently produced up of actors of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, and the remake only comes 10 years right after the original initially released. That tends to make it a bit confusing that only Dwayne Johnson got to reprise his part.

Related

Moana Live-Action Remake: Release Date, Cast, Story &amp Everything We Know

Moana joins the ranks of Walt Disney animated motion pictures to get a reside-action adaptation, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is top the way.

Moana’s Live-Action Remake Needs Dwayne Johnson’s Star Power

Johnson was most likely selected to reprise his part as Maui mainly because he’ll be in a position to lend really a bit of his celebrity status and star-energy to the Moana remake. He’s been in some huge motion pictures, from the Fast &amp Furious franchise to prosperous films like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Mummy Returns. Johnson has also been a relatively constant box workplace draw for the improved component of two decades. His recognition has dipped lately, with films like Black Adam that failed to locate a wide following, but he’s nonetheless a household name. Moana could even break Johnson’s box workplace drought.

Related

Dwayne Johnson’s 10 Highest-Grossing Movies, According To Box Office Mojo

Dwayne Johnson is a single of the most bankable stars at the moment in Hollywood, and it is not just his adventures as Agent Hobbs that have established profitable.

Part of Disney’s selection to hold Johnson for the reside-action Moana, aside from his box workplace earnings, was most likely mainly because of how nicely he fits the character of Maui. In true life, Johnson appears just like Maui, albeit with no the exact same hair. Aside from Jason Momoa, there is definitely no other actor who could each match Maui’s look and lend Johnson’s level of recognition as an actor to the film. Johnson also had an benefit more than Momoa from the start off, as he’d currently played Maui just before, and audiences would recognize his voice from the original Moana.

Auli’i Cravalho Aged Out Of Playing Moana In Live-Action

One of the other most original Moana voice actors who seemed most likely to return was Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the titular Moana. Cravalho’s voice was a central component of Moana’s character, and her stellar overall performance definitely brought Moana to life. Cravalho is even returning to the part for the upcoming Moana 2, so she seemed like a all-natural selection for the remake. She’s even produced a name for herself outdoors of animation, as she played Janis in the Mean Girls musical. That wasn’t adequate to land her a component in the Moana remake, even though, but there is a very good explanation for that.

Probably the largest explanation Cravalho wasn’t selected to reprise her part of Moana in reside-action is mainly because she aged out of it. The original Moana came out on November 23, 2016, a day right after Cravalho turned 16. Now, nevertheless, eight years have passed, Cravalho is 23 years old, and she’s also mature to convincingly play a young teenager. Moana’s age is a central component of her story, as her teenage rebellion contributed to her selection to leave Motunui. To hold that component of the story intact, the Moana remake gave the part to Catherine Laga’aia, a 17-year-old actor.

Moana Could Have Brought Other Actors Back Like Dwayne Johnson

While Cravalho has aged out of her part, other actors from the original Moana have not, and they could have been recast for the reside-action version. Temuera Morrison, for instance, would have been a excellent choose. He played Chief Tui, Moana’s father and leader of Motunui, in the original Moana. Morrison has clearly aged due to the fact 2016 (he’s now 63 years old), but due to the fact his character is currently depicted as becoming a lengthy-established leader, his age is not practically as essential as Moana’s is. Nicole Scherzinger, who played Moana’s mother Sina, also could have been recast, and she’s even younger than Morrison, at just 45 years old.

Both Morrison and Scherzinger would have kept some of the original Moana‘s voice talent in the reside-action remake, but they have been each recast rather. John Tui will now be playing the part of Chief Tui, and Frankie Adams has been cast as Sina. Tui and Adams are each younger than Morrison and Scherzinger, at 49 and 30 years old, respectively, which could enable the Moana remake appeal to younger audiences with younger parents. Tui and Adams also bring some considerable talents to their roles, and though Disney could have gone with additional original voice actors, the new reside-action actors will most likely be just as very good.

Which Other Moana Cast Members Could Return For The Live-Action Remake

Aside from the central characters of Moana, there are nonetheless some roles that have not been filled but that could simply go to their original voice actors. One of the complications that prevented Cravalho, Morrison, and Scherzinger from reprising their roles was the truth that they would not necessarily match up with the ages of their Moana characters. There are a number of characters in Moana, even though, exactly where that would not be an situation. The remake will be reside-action, but some characters, like Heihei and Tamatoa, would most likely nonetheless be recreated in CGI, which means they would only need to have voices.

Since their characters would not call for them to match a precise look, the voice actors for Heihei and Tamatoa, Jemaine Clement and Alan Tudyk, could nonetheless reprise their roles. Their voices would make the remake closer to the original Moana, and they could give even additional impressive performances in the exact same roles. Additionally, there is a single other actor who could simply take yet another part in Moana: Lin-Manuel Miranda. He largely worked on Moana as a singer and songwriter, but he also supplied his voice for some minor characters, and Miranda could get a part in the remake.

There are a handful of causes Dwayne Johnson is the only actor at the moment returning for the reside action Moana remake, but that does not imply he has to be the only a single. As previously described, there are a handful of characters who would not call for their actors to appear a specific way. There’s also a distinct possibility that some of the original Moana‘s actors could return for cameo appearances in unique roles. Even if they never seem in the Moana remake, even though, these actors’ contributions to Moana’s story will not quickly be forgotten.

Moana

Disney’s Moana requires spot in ancient Polynesia, and tells the story of the titular princess. The daughter of a tribe chief in a coastal village, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) is drawn to the sea, believing it is her quest to return the Heart of Te Fiti – a mysterious relic – to its rightful property in order to cease the blight threatening her island. Along the way, she meets the trickster demi-god, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who assists her on her quest.

Director

Ron Clements , John Musker

Release Date

November 23, 2016

Studio(s)

Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios

Distributor(s)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Writers

Pamela Ribon , John Musker , Ron Clements , Taika Waititi

Runtime

107 Minutes

Budget

$150–175 million

Main Genre

Adventure

Expand