It’s full steam ahead for the live-action version of Disney’s Moana. Deadline reported.

However, only Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is reprising his role as Maui. There are currently four names announced to play the live-action version of the characters. Catherine Laga’aia will play the titular character. As for the rest of her family, her father Chief Tui will be played by John Tui (any relation?), her mother Sina will be played by Frankie Adams and her grandmother Tala will be played by Rena Owen.

Moana IRL

Moana and actress Catherine Laga‘aia.

Laga’aia said about taking on the role, “I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites.”

“My grandfather comes form Fa’aala, Palauli, in Savai’i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me,” she continued.

The 17-year-old hails from Sydney Australia and appeared in Prime Video’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart as the young Candy.

Auli’i Carvalho, who voiced Moana in the first animated version and will be reprising her role in the upcoming sequel, welcomed her to the family via an Instagram post that said, “Our village just got a whole lot bigger.”

The singer-actress starred in the recent reboot of Mean Girls as Janis ‘Imi’ike and voiced Hailey Banks in the animated series Hailey’s on It!

Connections upon connections

Tui will play the live-action version of Moana’s father Chief Tui. He’s a New Zealand actor of Tongan descent. He previously played Afa Anoa’i, one of the young Samoans in Young Rock, the biographical series on NBC about Johnson’s early years.

He has another connection with Johnson when he starred as Kal in 2019’s The Fast & Furious Present: Hobbs & Shaw. Tui will star in the upcoming drama series, Plum.

Temuera Morrison, who is of Māori and Taunui descent voiced Chief Tui in the original animated version, will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel. He also reprised his role as Tom Curry in  2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. He also played Boba Fett in the Disney miniseries The Book of Boba Fett. As the character, Morrison also appeared in The Mandalorian and previous Star Wars movies.

Moana’s mother Sina will be played in this live-action version by Frankie Adams. She’s a New Zealand actress of Samoan descent best known for playing Roberta “Bobbie” Draper in the Prime Video series The Expanse. She also starred in The Flowers of Alice Hart opposite Sigourney Weaver. Her future on-screen daughter played her younger self in the series, also on Prime Video. Adams also appeared in Taika Waititi’s 2023 film Next Goal Wins.

The voice of Sina, Nicole Scherzinger, who is of Filipino and native Hawaiian descent, will still go on to reprise the role in the animated sequel. The singer-actress recently won an Olivier for her stage debut role in the Broadway musical Sunset Boulevard.

From the Land Down Under and Middle Earth

Moana’s grandmother, Gramma Tala, is played by Owen. She’s a New Zealand actress best known for appearing in Lee Tamahori’s 1994 film Once We Were Warriors with Morrison. She also appeared as Taun We in George Lucas’ 2002 movie Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Owen also voiced the character in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Rachel House, who voiced Gramma Tala in the original animated version may yet return to reprise her character in the sequel. No announcement has been made yet. The New Zealand actress is affiliated with three Māori tribes: the Ngāti Mutunga, Te Ātiawa and Ngāi Tahu.

She was recently in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and will reprise her role as Woodsy in the upcoming final season of Netflix’s Heartbreak High. The actress also played Topaz in the 2017 Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok, which reunited her with Taika Waititi who directed the 2016 acclaimed film The Hunt for the Wilder People.

Disney’s live-action Moana will be released on July 10, 2026.