‘Moana 3’ in the Works at Disney, According to Dwayne Johnson

Disney is coming back to the water with “Moana 3,” the latest installment of the animated oceanic musical adventure.

Dwayne Johnson, who plays the tattooed demigod Maui, teased the news while promoting the live-action “Moana,” which opens in theaters on July 10.

“Yes, we have talked about ‘Moana 3,’ yes” Johnson said at a press conference for “Moana” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “But first, live-action ‘Moana,’ we’ll let that come out first. We have [the] amazing Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, who have been our writers … they will pen ‘Moana 3.’”

The original “Moana” generated a sizable $680 million at the global box office in 2016 but exploded in popularity on Disney+, where it’s remained one of the most watched streaming titles. “Moana 2” was originally developed as a streaming for Disney+ before it was retooled into a feature film. Disney’s decision to put the “Moana” property in theaters was quickly justified: After opening around Thanksgiving 2024 with a record-setting $225 million, the sequel became a four-quadrant smash with $1.059 billion in worldwide sales.

Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho are expected to reprise their voice roles in the threequel as Maui and the eponymous Polynesian heroine. The original story revolves around the strong-willed daughter of a village chief, who is chosen by the ocean to restore prosperity to her island. In the second film, the plucky wayfinder journeys back into the deep sea to find a hidden island and break a curse. Plot details for the third haven’t been revealed.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote memorable hits such as “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” for the first film, didn’t return for the second, instead passing songwriting duties to Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the duo best known at the time for “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” It’s unclear who will write the music for the third installment.

As Johnson mentioned, before “Moana 3” sails to theaters, audiences will be able to return to the fictional island of Motunui for Disney’s live-action take on the original. The remake, starring Johnson and newcomer Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, was directed by Thomas Kail in his feature debut and written by Bush and Miller.