Moana is one of Disney’s most successful movies of the 2010s, and just like many other great Disney animations, a live-action remake of the film is in development – here’s who could play the titular role. The 2016 movie follows young Hawaiian girl Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) in ancient Polynesia, as she’s chosen by the ocean to reunite Te Fiti with a mystical relic. She’s also accompanied by Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a legendary, shapeshifting demigod. While not much time has passed since the movie’s release, a live-action remake has the potential to be an epic-scale adventure movie and be even better than the animated original.
Dwayne Johnson has announced that a Moana live-action remake is in development. Given that Johnson, arguably the most bankable star in the world, is heavily involved in the remake, it hardly comes as a surprise that the movie will be remade within 10 years of the original movie’s release. However, while Johnson is reprising his role as Maui in live-action form, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Cravalho is returning. If she doesn’t return, there are still a handful of other young Hawaiian and Maori actresses who would be perfect as the strong-willed Chief’s daughter.
4 Teilor Grubbs
Moana is set in and around Hawaii and Teilor Grubbs shares the character’s upbringing, making a part of her career, as her biggest credit is Hawaii 5-0. Grubbs played Grace in 55 episodes and quickly became a fan-favorite character. And as a lot of Moana’s action is on the beach and at sea, Grubbs could be open to performing her stunts, as she’s great at water sports. While Grubbs isn’t as well-known as other potential Moana actors, the young actor starring alongside Johnson doesn’t need to be bankable, and Grubbs is the best choice when it comes to the action elements of the role.
3 Frankie Adams
Actors often play characters much younger than they are, especially actors in their mid-20s playing teenagers. Older actors are cast in these roles not only because teenagers are only allowed to work for a limited number of hours, but because they’re more professional and more experienced. At 29 years old, Samoan New Zealand Frankie Adams might seem too old to be playing one of the youngest Disney princesses, as Moana is just 16 years old. However, Adams looks way younger than she is and could pass as a 16-year-old in the context of a Moana live-action remake.
But it isn’t just her likeness and nationality that makes Adams a perfect fit for the live-action Moana. While Adams hasn’t had many movie roles, she had a main role in the sci-fi TV series The Expanse, which saw her as a different kind of warrior but just as strong-willed. Adams played Bobbie Draper, who is a Martian Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, so she could easily play a princess who defies her parents and goes on a death-defying adventure.
2 Siena Agudong
At just 18 years old, Agudong is the most age-accurate actor, but the actor still has an impressive resume that proves she can play the Polynesian princess. Agudong has led a career full of typical Nickelodeon and Disney shows and movies, but she seamlessly transitioned into more mature projects, starring in Netflix’s Resident Evil. The actor has proven she can put on that distinct Disney charm, and that she can deliver dramatic performances too. And while it wasn’t one of the studio’s tentpole movies, Agudong starred in Disney’s Upside-Down Magic and is part of the Disney family, so she could be someone the studio is seriously considering.
1 Sydney Agudong
Sydney Agudong, Siena Agudong’s sister, could also be in the running for Moana, and she’s arguably better qualified. While Sydney has had small roles in shows like NCIS, she is more of a singer than an actress, but that’s what makes her great for the movie. As Moana is essentially a musical, with a lot of the movie’s songs being sung by Cravalho, no other Moana candidate could sing those songs better than Agudong. Agudong is a born performer, and though a live-action Moana breaks Disney’s rules by following the original be such a short timeframe, the film at least has the chance to cast Agudong as the titular character.
