Credit: ABCDwayne “The Rock” Johnson is under fire following Disney’s shocking announcement that a live-action remake of the animated hit, Moana (2016), is underway just seven years after its release. And with this news, earlier criticisms of Johnson’s seemingly desperate attempts to remain a Hollywood A-Lister are resurfacing online, with many drawing connections to the failure of his DC Black Adam (2022) universe.
Disney Confirms Live-Action ‘Moana’ Remake
Earlier this week, Johnson confirmed via video that he would be reprising his role of Maui, the singing demigod of the wind and sea, as well as producing on the reimagined Moana movie. Disney CEO Bob Iger and Johnson initially shared the news during Disney’s annual shareholders meeting. Since then, the company has been the subject of near-constant scrutiny on social media from fans who are reluctant to see yet another beloved animated story get the live-action treatment—especially for Moana, which is relatively new, having just premiered in 2016. Check out the clip below:
JUST ANNOUNCED: From Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho, a live-action reimagining of Disney’s Moana is in the works! pic.twitter.com/4rQXLSJ5Zn
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) April 3, 2023
This announcement is the latest in a long line of recent Disney live-action remakes. Beginning with 2015’s Cinderella, the studio has since pumped out close to 20 reboots of animated reboots and spinoffs with updated stories geared towards modern audiences, from the likes of Beauty and the Beast (2017) to the more recent Pinocchio (2022), all to varying degrees of success.
Audiences have long expressed their disdain for seeing animated classics make the leap to seemingly drab, CGI-heavy remakes that tend not to be as colorful and lively as their cartoon counterparts. Nonetheless, Disney has doubled down on their efforts to add more updated live-action reboots to their slate of upcoming movie releases, including the Halle Bailey-led The Little Mermaid (2023), Lilo and Stitch (TBA), Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s take on The Aristocats (TBA), and now, Moana.
Why Are Fans Connecting Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ Failure to ‘Moana’ Remake News? DC Drama Explained
Amid this surprising Moana announcement, fans are heading to social media in droves to sound off on the upcoming film and its leading man, with many blaming Johnson for fueling yet another Disney live-action remake. Many are citing Johnson’s ill-fated trek into the superhero genre in DC’s Black Adam, which underperformed at the box office and garnered less-than-favorable reviews.
Black Adam was supposed to be a triumphant success for Johnson, who fought hard to bring the comic book character to life on the big screen. But after earning just under $400 million in seven weeks, Black Adam was deemed a financial flop for DC, with audiences blaming its “messy” and “forgettable” story.
After being met with lackluster reviews, the drama surrounding the movie only continued to escalate when Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2023) star Zachary Levy put Johnson on blast after confirming a report from The Wrap on Instagram, which stated that Johnson “sabotaged” Shazam‘s sequel. Johnson allegedly refused to let Levy appear as Shazam in Black Adam. It also claimed that Johnson nixed a Shazam sequel after-credits scene, in which Levi’s character would be recruited into Black Adam‘s Justice Society of America. Johnson is reportedly not a big fan of the Shazam universe and wanted to center the DCEU around him and Henry Cavil’s Superman. On his now-deleted Instagram Story, Levy reposted a summary of the report, along with the caption, “The truth will set you free.”
Is Dwayne Johnson Running Back to Disney to Save His Career? Fans Respond
People on social media are criticizing Johnson for seemingly jumping ship on DC and running back to Disney for the Moana reboot after his attempts to create a Black Adam universe failed. Online, users slammed the former WWE star for his nonstop efforts to remain in the spotlight, with some accusing Johnson of “foaming at the mouth to be a movie star” amid the news. Read their candid reactions below:
The speed at which Dwayne Johnson pivoted from trying to create a Black Adam Cinematic Universe to doing a live action Moana movie 💀
This man is FOAMING AT THE MOUTH to be a movie star with a franchise and it’s just so blatant and embarrassing and exhausting at this point
— 𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙥.’s birthday week (@phillip_tho) April 3, 2023
Why do I get the impression that Dwayne Johnson didn’t sleep for three weeks to come up with his Moana package when Black Adam flopped
— Jeff McMahon (@JeffMcMahon) April 3, 2023
The eventual Dwayne Johnson biopic about the production of Black Adam and and his subsequent fall from grace is going to go so hard https://t.co/RPPhUDRzbu
— mel (derogatory) (@CadenToMyHazel) April 3, 2023
What’s Next for Dwayne Johnson and the ‘Moana’ Franchise?
Johnson has yet to address the recent Black Adam/Shazam controversy, and all seems to be full speed ahead on Disney’s planned Moana remake. It’s not surprising that the studio would be quick to greenlight more projects set in the Moana universe, considering the success of the original Ron Clements and John Musker-directed movie, which grossed over $680 million at the box office. At one point, the studio was also in talks to release an Auli’i Cravalho-led Moana TV show for Disney+, but now, with the announcement of the reimagined Moana live-action movie, the series’ fate seems uncertain.
For now, it seems like a “you’re welcome” on Johnson’s part is, perhaps, a bit preemptive. It’ll be interesting to see how fans’ viewpoints shift when further casting announcements and footage are released from the upcoming remake and if some critics will change their outlooks upon seeing the final product. Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original, will executive produce, meaning the upcoming film is at least promising to keep its original stars close to the production. But based on widespread outcries from fans, even if the Moana remake ends up being a smash hit, the future of Johnson’s career in Hollywood doesn’t look too promising.
What do you think of Dwayne Johnson seemingly jumping ship after the failure of Black Adam? Are you looking forward to the Moana live-action remake? Chime off in the comments below.