Has Disney Cast Zendaya as the Live Action Moana?

The rumors have been swirling all week. Several social media posts and a few admittedly entertaining trailers pointed to singer/actor Zendaya being cast as the lead role in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Moana. But is any of it true?

We know Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will reprise his role as the demigod Maui, but Moana’s original voice actor, Auli’i Cravalho, has taken on an executive producer role instead of being part of the cast.

That leaves a significant gap in Thomas Kail’s 2025 film. Could Zendaya be the answer the right fit?

Possibly, but it’s not confirmed at all. Zendaya’s involvement is only a rumor if barely that. In fact, I’d still consider it fan fiction that some media outlets are inflating to be more substantial than it is.

I’ve scoured the trades and called friends within the Walt Disney Company to track down any thread pointing to her involvement in Moana’s production. There’s nothing.

However, even the rumor of her casting has sparked something of a small fire that could grow into a blaze similar to what we saw with Halle Baily’s The Little Mermaid or Rachel Zegler’s Snow White.

Zendaya being cast may lead to an interesting, if not totally toxic, discussion about whether she should even play a Pacific Islander. The Oakland, California native’s heritage does not connect to Polynesia at all.

While I believe that any actor should be allowed to play any role that he/she is fit for, the weirdos on X (Twitter) don’t see it that way. However, the fallout of them going after a superstar like Zendaya could finally break the purity fixation running rampant in fandoms.

I say go for it! Do it, Disney! Capitalize on her star power to pull the failing live-action remake trend out of the gutter! Just ensure she doesn’t disparage the original film like Zegler has been.

What do you think of this rumor? Let us know below!

[Source: MSN]

[Source: BBC]