Dwayne Johnson, 50, enthusiastically addressed the 2023 Disney Annual Meeting of Shareholders Webcast on Monday to announce a project close to his heart.
After the meeting, he tweeted, ‘Humbled to say we’re bringing #MOANA’s beautiful story to the live action big screen!
‘#MAUI changed my life (miss you grandpa) and I’m honored to partner with @DisneyStudios to tell our story thru the realm of music & dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people.’
The Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star – whose eldest daughter made her WWE debut over the weekend – tweeted shots of him and his daughters Jasmine, seven, and Tiana, four.
The Black Adam star wore jeans and a white short-sleeved button-down shirt in his pre-recorded message from the beaches of Maui while his young daughters, who he shares with his wife Lauren Hashian, wore sundresses reminiscent of Moana’s.
Maui: Dwayne Johnson, 50, enthusiastically addressed the 2023 Disney Annual Meeting of Shareholders Webcast on Monday to announce a project close to his heart
Moana: After the meeting, he tweeted, ‘Humbled to say we’re bringing #MOANA’s beautiful story to the live action big screen’
Johnson also has another daughter, Simone Johnson, 21, whom he shares with ex-wife Dany Garcia.
The Fast and Furious actor shared more about the upcoming movie in a pre-recorded message with his daughters, including the inspiration he gets from his late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.
Johnson spoke more during the pre-recorded segment with his daughters, saying, via Variety:
‘We are so excited and happy to announce that a live action reimagining of Moana is in the works. Moana, Grandma Tala, the music, the dance, Te Fiti, Pua the pig, the village, the beautiful powerful ocean and one more …what’s that guys? Oh, yours truly…Heihei the chicken! Kidding. Heihei is gonna be in it, but of course Maui will be in it too.
‘Many of you may not know the brilliant team at Disney Animation, my partners, we found so much inspiration for Maui in the mana and the presence of my late grandfather, the legendary High Chief Peter Maivia.
‘He would walk in light up the room — the energy, the tattoos, the hair, the bod. [sings with daughters] “When you’re starring at a demigod” Thank you. Sorry, I get caught up in the moment.
‘So as you guys can see — perfect timing as the sun comes out — just how deep the story is for me, because in a way, when I bring Maui to life, I’m doing it in the spirit of my grandfather. So it’s still very early in the process. There’s so much more work to be done.
‘But until then, there is one more thing that I need to kick this journey off right. Girls do want to get that special thing that Daddy needs? [Bring out his staff] Wow, you guys are daddy’s daughters. You are so strong. Thank you guys so much.’
Inspiration: The Fast and Furious actor shared more about the upcoming movie in a pre-recorded message with his daughters, including the inspiration he gets from his late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia
Daughters: Johnson’s young daughters Jasmine, seven and Tiana, four joined him on the beach for the announcement
He concluded: ‘We’re gonna go in the ocean. Yes. Oh, look at the love I have. Is Daddy Maui? No! You guys want ice cream? Yes! So Daddy is Maui.’
Johnson’s oldest daughter followed in her father’s footsteps as a professional wrestler working under the name Ava Raine.
On Saturday, she became the first fourth-generation wrestler in WWE history with her debut at NXT Stand and Deliver on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, daughter of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, made her in-ring bow as part of an eight-person tag-team match between Chase University and the stable she is a part of, The Schism.
Following in footsteps: Johnson’s eldest daughter, Simone, 21, made her WWE debut over the weekend.
The match went just over 11 minutes and Raine had a couple of forays into the action, but her side suffered a loss in her first outing with Chase University picking up the victory.
Raine’s lineage in the business goes back to The Rock, her grandfather Rocky Johnson and her great grandfather High Chief Peter Maivia.
Raine joined WWE in February 2020, but her progress to TV had been hindered by a serious knee injury.
Still, Shawn Michaels told SportsMail that the company have high hopes for Raine and she’s developing well at their developmental training base in Orlando, Florida.
