Disney announces live-action Moana is in the works

While Johnson's statements point to him reprising his role as Maui, he didn't expressly reveal that he will be returning or whether any of the former cast will reprise their roles in the film. However, he will serve as one of the executive producers via his production company Seven Bucks Productions. Jared Bush, who penned the original film, will also reprise his role in the remake.

Moana is the latest Disney animation to get a live-action treatment in keeping with Disney's recent trend that has seen The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast return to the big screen. The trend will also see the release of a live-action version of The Little Mermaid as well as Peter Pan in the coming month. Where Moana differs from the other remakes is in the fact that it was only released seven years ago while the others are considered classics.

Apart from Moana, the entertainment behemoth also has Lilo & Stitch, Bambi, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Snow White, and Hercules at various stages of development.

The original Moana starred Auli'l Cravalho as the titular character and Johnson as the demigod Maui. It also starred Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, Temuera Morrison, Jermaine Clement, and Nicole Scherzinger. The animated musical was both a commercial and critical success, with a box office gross of over $690 million against an estimated $150 million as well as overwhelmingly positive reviews that includes a 95% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating.

Neither Disney nor Johnson provided any information on the film's release date, cast, or crew, which is hardly surprising given that the film is still in its early stages.

By the way, last month, Johnson finally opened up about Henry Cavill's exit from the DCU. Although he was cordial, the Hollywood star, who allegedly tried to take over DC, expressed what seemed like disappointment at the decision of the new heads of DC James Gunn and Peter Safran.