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Thomas Keelthe award-winning director of numerous Broadway productions – incl Hamiltonis set to make his big-screen directional debut in Disney’s live-action remake of the 2016 animated musical film, Moana According to The Hollywood Reporter) earlier this year, Disney announced a remake of the movie and Dwayne Johnson will reprise the role of the majestic Maui of Wind and Sea.
The film will be produced in association with Seven Bucks Production, which is owned by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, and Flynn Bucks by Beau Flynn, the original screenwriter of MoanaJared Bosch will return to partner Dana Ledoux Miller, who is best known for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tide. The film tells the tales and adventures of a young woman from the Pacific Islands who sets out on an epic journey to return an ancient relic to its owner, the goddess Te Fiti. To save the world from a devastating natural disaster, Moana flees her village against her father, who is the chief of the island, and along the way, frees her and enlists the help of Maui, a demigod.
Auli’i Cravalho will not return to star in Moana, but he will executive produce the live-action film with Scott Sheldon, also of Flynn Picture Co. Thomas Kyle captivated Broadway with his directing on Lin-Manuel Miranda in the heights Back in 2008, which resulted in his first Tony Award for Best Musical Director. In 2015, Kail and Miranda reunited for the production of Hamilton. The critically acclaimed musical nearly swept the 16 awards it was nominated for, winning 11 of them, one of which was for Thomas Kail – Best Direction.
Moana finally comes together
Piece by piece, it looks like the project is now coming together! It was only this past April that Dwayne Johnson excitedly announced the live-action version of Moana. The animated film promises an epic adventure full of heart, humor and unforgettable moments. This is what Johnson hopes to deliver in the live-action adaptation, he said.
“This story is my culture, and this story is a symbol of the grace of our people and the strength of a warrior. I wear this culture with pride on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the in-mana and spirit of my late grandfather, Supreme Commander Peter Maivia, is Very profound stuff for me. I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor our people’s story, passion and purpose than through the world of music and dance, which is at the heart of who we are as a Polynesian people.”
