Moana Live-Action Director Thomas Kail on Dwayne Johnson's Wig, Reviews

Key Points:

• Director Thomas Kail, known for his work on “Hamilton” and “In The Heights,” is helming the live-action remake of Disney’s “Moana,” which opens on July 10, featuring newcomer Catherine Laga’aia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui.
• Kail emphasized staying true to the original story and characters while updating the script with new scenes, jokes, and character interactions to reflect the transition from animation to live-action and to preserve cultural authenticity.
• The production faced challenges with ambitious musical numbers, notably “Where You Are,” which involved 200 dancers and a constructed village set in extreme heat, highlighting the complexity of adapting the animated musical sequences.
• Dwayne Johnson was always intended to reprise Maui, wearing a custom body suit to maintain the character’s muscular look and enable animated tattoos, while his wig, essential to Maui’s identity, sparked some public reaction but was accepted as part of the character.
• Kail generally avoids reading detailed reviews, focusing instead on the broader conversation around his work, and expressed enthusiasm about musical storytelling’s future, mentioning his hopes for a “Fiddler on the Roof” adaptation and the ongoing popularity of musicals like “Hamilton.”