Dwayne Johnson to star in live-action Moana

Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role of the demi-god Maui in a live-action reimagining of the 2016 animated musical, Moana.

“Deeply humbled to announce we’re bringing the beautiful story of Moana to the live action big screen! This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace, mana and warrior strength,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “I wear our culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once in a lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.”

In addition to Moana and Maui, other beloved characters from cartoon blockbuster will also return in the live-action version. No casting or release date have been announced yet.

Migration, a comedy flick on ducks

Illumination is giving a glimpse of the new film Migration. The studio shared a teaser for the animated comedy recently.

The preview introduces a family of ducks, who convince their overprotective father to migrate from New England to the Bahamas. They come across other birds along their journey and the movie is about those adventures. Migration opens in theatres December 22.

Illumination is known for the Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets and Sing franchises. The studio most recently released the Despicable Me spinoff Minions: The Rise of Gru in July.

First new Lord of the Rings movie release date

The first of the new Lord of the Rings movies, The War of the Rohirrim, is set to release on April 12, 2024, so Lord of the Rings movie fans will be returning to Tolkien’s world in under a year.

The new movies won’t be remakes of Peter Jackson’s fantasy movie trilogy, and War of the Rohirrim is an anime movie that will release in theatres, which is set to explore the kingdom of Rohan and its war against the neighbouring Dunlendings, around 200 years prior to the War of the Ring. It will flesh out the lore of characters like Helm Hammerhand and Frealaf Hildeson, and give a closer look at the legendary story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep.

With epic battles and characters, War of the Rohirrim will no doubt rekindle a love of Middle-Earth for many, and will be the first chance to see the world in gorgeous animation. There is no War of the Rohirrim trailer yet.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 6th, 2023