Earlier this month, leaked photos from the set of the ‘Moana’ remake showed Dwayne, ‘The Rock,’ Johnson in his Maui costume with a noticeably bulkier appearance. During an interview with Extra, the actor addressed the viral images and explained his physique for the role.
“That’s a suit that took a long time to put on,” he shared. “So, I’m so happy you said, ‘You bulked up,’ because when you say, ‘You bulked up,’ that means you couldn’t tell.”
“That is a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that on. We shot outside and when those pictures surfaced, I was like, ‘Sh*t, we got caught.’ Because we were putting up, like, walls so there was no paparazzi. But they got into boats and started shooting pictures. So, but I’m happy you liked it. I can’t wait. The movie comes out in 2026.”
Disney announced the live-action ‘Moana’ in April 2023. Directed by Thomas Kail, the film stars Catherine Laga‘aia as Moana alongside Johnson’s Maui. John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen were also in the cast.
Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 animated movie, works on the live-action project as a producer. She teams up with Johnson’s Seven Bucks Production and Beau Flynn from Flynn Picture Co.
This year saw Cravalho and Johnson reprise their roles in the animated sequel, ‘Moana 2,’ as well. The animated film hit theaters on November 27. Meanwhile, the live-action is scheduled to release on July 10, 2026.
