Live-action film “Moana” stars Catherine Lagaia

Catherine Lagaia

Alexei Hi

After an extensive search, Disney found the next Moana. Newcomer Katherine Lagaia will play the titular character in the remake of the 2016 hit animated film. The 17-year-old actor hails from Sydney, Australia, and joins Dwayne Johnson in the film, reprising his role as the demigod Maui.

“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorite characters,” Lagaia said in a statement. “My grandfather comes from Fala, Paluli, on Savaii. And my grandmother is from Leulumuega Tuai on Samoa’s main island of Upolu. I’m honored to have the opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island people, and represent young girls who look like me.”

Laga’aia takes over the role from Auli’i Cravalho, who starred in the 2016 original and will produce the remake. She is said to be mentoring the younger actor in the role.

Other actors in the Auckland remake include New Zealand actor John Tui as Moana’s father, Chief Tui; Samoan-New Zealand actor Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother, Sina; Rena Owen, who hails from the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, goes by the name Gramma Tala.

Thomas Kail, Broadway theater manager Hamiltonis at the helm of the film, which will debut on July 10, 2026. He also recently directed episodes of the Hulu limited series We were the lucky ones.

“I’m so thrilled to have met Katherine, Rayna, Frankie and John through the casting process,” the director said. “I’m humbled by this opportunity, and I can’t wait for everyone to be on set together. And there’s no better pair to be in than Katherine and Dwayne to be in the boat with – in fact, Trio: Hehe ready too.

Moana A seminal film for Disney, the 2016 film has been among the top streaming films in the United States for several years. According to Nielsen, it was the most watched online film of 2023 in the United States (ranking No. 4 in 2022 and No. 2 in 2021 and 2020). Disney also has a separate animated sequel to Moana Scheduled for release on November 27.

Johnson, Danny Garcia and Hiram Garcia are producing through their Seven Bucks Productions. Beau Flynn is produced via FlynnPictureCo. Moana Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is also producing after receiving an Oscar nomination for “How Far I’ll Go.”