Disney Live-Action Moanas Director Is Going To Be Hamiltons Thomas Kail!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas Kail, the award-winning director of many Broadway shows, including Hamilton, is slated to make his big screen debut as Disney Live-Action Moana's Director. Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role as the imposing demigod of wind and sea, Maui, in the remake, which Disney revealed earlier this year.

#1. Disney Live-Action Moanas Director Is Going To Be Hamiltons Thomas Kail!

Source: Knight Edge Media

According to THR, Tony and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Thomas Kail has been tapped by Disney to helm the future film, which is now in the works at the Mouse House. Although Thomas directed the Hamilton film, which is available on Disney+, this will be his "feature narrative directorial debut". Thomas received a Tony Award for directing Hamilton on Broadway, as well as In the Heights and the most recent production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which is presently playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. He was also nominated for an Emmy for directing Grease: Live! If you didn't already know, Thomas has a direct relationship with Moana because he regularly collaborates with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who composed numerous songs for the original animated film.

The movie will be produced by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn's Flynn Picture Co. Jared Bush, the original screenwriter for Moana, will return in collaboration with Dana Ledoux Miller, renowned for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tide. The film tells the story of a young Pacific Islander lady who embarked on an epic quest to restore an ancient item to its rightful owner, the goddess Te Fiti. To save the world from a horrific natural disaster, Moana fled her village against her father, the leader of the island, and sought the assistance of Maui, the demigod, along the road.

Auli'i Cravalho will not reprise her role as Moana, but she will executive produce the live-action film alongside Scott Sheldon, also from Flynn Picture Co. Thomas Kail enthralled Broadway in 2008 with his production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights, earning him his first Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. Kail and Miranda reunited in 2015 for the production of Hamilton. The critically praised musical won 11 of the 16 prizes it was nominated for, including one for Thomas Kail - Best Direction.

#2. Moana is Finally Coming Together!

Moana will celebrate the islands, communities, and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman, similar to its animated predecessor, which grossed more than $644 million at the global box office and ranked among the top 15 movies streamed in the United States in 2022. Her quest for self-discovery and meditation on her ancestors' life, as well as her relationship with an exiled demigod named Maui, captured hearts all across the world.

The project appears to be coming together piece by piece! Dwayne Johnson proudly revealed the live-action adaptation of Moana only in April. The animated film promises an epic journey full of passion, humor, and unforgettable moments. And Johnson aims to provide that in the live-action adaption, he says:

"This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep 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 the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people.”

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