Wayana: Which actress will play the famous heroine in the Disney movie?

In April 2023, Dwayne Johnson announced a live-action film adaptation of John Musker and Ron Clements’ animated film Moana. The man who voices the demigod Maui announced the project in a video featuring him and his two daughters from the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

added the actorI am honored to announce that we are bringing the brilliant story of Moana to the big screen! Maui changed my life (I miss my grandpa) and I am honored to partner with Disney to tell our story through the music and dance that is at the heart of who we are as a Polynesian people.

Dwayne Johnson announced a little later that the live-action film directed by Thomas Cale (director of the play Hamilton on Broadway) will be his next project. However, Disney was quick to temper The Rock’s enthusiasm, announcing an animated sequel to Moana scheduled to hit theaters on November 27, 2024.

Change the actor

Therefore, the live version has been postponed until July 8, 2026. If we had thought until now that actor Aulii Cravalho – who voices the Disney character and has a vocal role in the sequel – was going to play the young boss. In the live version of the village, the studio finally chose a different actor.

Therefore, Catherine Lagaia – who has already appeared in the cast of the series Les Fleurs Sauvages – will lend her features to the live-action Vaiana feature film.

23-year-old Auli Cravalho will still co-produce the film and coach the 17-year-old young actress. The choice to replace the original actor was not explained by Disney, but it is possible that the studio preferred to cast a teenage actor to better fit the character.

In a press release, Ekaterine LagaiaOriginally from Sydney, Australia, he says:I am very happy to play this character because Moana is one of my favorite characters. My grandfather is from Faala, Palau, Savai’i. And my grandmother is from Leulumega Tuai on Upolu, the main island of Samoa. I’m honored to have the opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all the people of the Pacific Islands and represent young girls who look like me.”

The young girl is no stranger to the world of cinema, as her father is actor and singer Jay Lagaia, who most notably played the role of Captain Tifo in Star Wars: Episode II and III.

Dwayne Johnson and Kathryn Lagaia will be joined by John Tooy, who will play Wayana’s mother, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen, who will play the heroine’s grandmother.

Vaiana live will hit theaters on July 8, 2026, while the animated sequel, Vaiana 2, will hit theaters on November 27.