Posted in: Disney, Movies | Tagged: moana

Catherine Laga'aia Has Been Cast As Moana In The Live-Action Remake

Disney has officially announced the cast for the live-action remake of Moana with Catherine Laga'aia taking on the title role.

The live-action Moana cast has officially started filling out, and we know who will be playing the title role. While most people will be focused on the animated sequel coming out later this year, the live-action remake is set to start production this summer, according to a press release by Disney. Catherine Laga'aia will be playing the title role of Moana. "I'm really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites," said Laga'aia in the press release. "My grandfather comes from 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."

Moana isn't the only role that has been cast. We also know that John Tui will play Moana's father, Chief Tui, Frankie Adams will play Moana's mother, Sina, and Rena Owens will play Gramma Tala. Tui and Owems are both from New Zealand, Auckland, and the Bay of Islands, respectively, while Laga'aia is from Sydney, Australia, and Adams is a Samoan-New Zealander. Dwayne Johnson will be reprising his role as Maui and is thus far the only confirmed returning cast member.

Director Thomas Kail expanded on the casting process, saying, "I am thrilled to have met Catherine, Rena, Frankie, and John through this casting process. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I cannot wait to all be on set together. And there's no better pair to be in a canoe with than Catherine and Dwayne—actually, trio: Heihei is ready, too."

Moana will bring to life in a whole new way the story of a young woman eager to pave her own path. Celebrating the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders in a spectacular adventure, the production begins filming this summer. The new feature film is produced by Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn via FlynnPictureCo. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the original songs, will also serve as producer. Executive producers include Scott Sheldon of FlynnPictureCo., Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film, and Charles Newirth. Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller have been tapped for the project. Bush, a veteran of Disney Animation, wrote the screenplay for 2016's Moana, and Miller is a Samoan writer who created Netflix's Thai Cave Rescue and co-founded the non-profit Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK).

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